Into Africa
by broonksa
Summary: Starts just after the end of the seventh series and ignores season eight. Too many out of character compromises to accommodate Eric and Kelso leaving. Tries to deal with all characters evenly but is mainly ED orientated.
1. Chapter 1 Leaving on a Jet Plane

On the concourse at Chicago O'Hare International a couple were kissing, the girl a tall striking blonde, the boy wiry, but equally tall.

"Final call for British Airways flight No. BA1463 to London Heathrow. Will all passengers please make their way to gate 21 where boarding will commence in 10 minutes."

"Eric, stop it you have to go"", even though she doesn't want him to go at all. "God is that what I think it is," feeling his boner on her thigh, " I thought we did it enough times last night to at least hold you until you get to Africa and into the privacy of your own room where you could introduce yourself to your new best friend and lover, You hand!"

"Yes, but its not anywhere near as good as you. Anyway I have to go now, as a leans over to pick up his cabin bag."

Donna now crying walks with him to passport control and watches him disappear through the gate after waving a final goodbye. "Dammit I didn't want him to see me cry.' Donna very seldom cry's and in the main, its been due to Eric. She just wishes that he didn't have to go to Africa for a year to gain a scholarship that would enable him to go to college with her next year. In the meantime She was going to continue on the radio as "Hot Donna" in order to build up her own college funds even though Bob, her father had plenty money from all his little inventions that were selling in their thousands through telemarketing.

Reaching the car park and getting into the vista cruiser she watches the BA jet take off, with both her heart and Eric on it, fast disappearing into the blue sky. She's now racked by tears as the loneliness is already starting to hit as she realizes just how far away Eric going to be, no longer just next door as he has been through most of her life, first as best friends until the fell in love becoming that rarity both in love and best friends that enable them to get back together after a major breakup and a failed attempt at marriage which although instigated by Eric not appearing, was agreed by both to be too soon and both of them agreed that marrying after college would be soon enough.

Eric, sees the car park from his window seat but can't identify the Vista Cruiser, is already realizing that he is already further away from Donna than he has ever been. and is feeling depressed inside.

Eric has always been able to separate his public self from his private self. He was able to work at Pricemart with Red as his boss and impress him with his work ethic evident even in his short stint at Fatsoburger. Even his year off as a bum was a success from the point of view that being a bum was his objective. And, when he realized that it was time to stop being a bum and get on with life he quickly reset his objective, to be a teacher and set out to get himself a scholarship that would pay for him to go to college and be with Donna.

In truth his long term objective has always been to marry Donna and support her in her own objectives even to the point of not turning up to their wedding to force her to turn back to her own long term objectives.

Sitting on the plane Eric reviews his relationship with Donna and begins to realize how much he's going to miss her and also realizes that they haven't really talked about their long term future even though they have always, in the main, been able to talk out their short term problems.

With that Eric decides that part of his letters to Donna over the next year must be about about their future and setting long term objectives for the two of them and not just themselves.

With that Eric digs out a letter writing kit that he got from Hyde and starts to write his first letter home to Donna telling her of how much he misses her, how much he loves her and setting out how he sees their future life together asking her to do the same so that they can agree on what their life together should be.

Donna arriving home, parks the car, and sits there red eyed and still crying until Kitty sees her and brings her into the Foreman;s kitchen, where a bottle of wine was opened and consumed with both of them crying.

Kitty has been through this before when Red went to war, and tells Donna of her own fears at that time and how she has those same fears for Eric. Kitty, has since Eric and Donna became intimate seen Donna as a rival for Eric's affections though at the same time loving Donna as a daughter explains the emotional roller-coaster that Donna's going to feel especially after talking to Eric on the phone or after getting a letter from him. She tells Donna that in her letters to and from Red that they had been able to keep their love for each other alive by expressing them fully in writing and by writing their future plans for themselves and each other so that they both wholeheartedly were able to march forward together into their future vision for them.

After going home. hugging Bob. Donna headed for her room to be alone so that she could write her first letter to Eric in Africa, to tell him how much she loved him, missed him and a start to planning their future years together. But, first a good long cry with the candles lit and the door locked, she didn't want to have to deal with Fez this evening, she might kill him.

About 4 am Donna's bedroom door was being very noisily thumped and cry's of "Donna open this door at once" reverberated through the door. Only one of her friends could generated this level of audio abuse and she thought that she would be tucked up in a Chicago motel with another of her friends celebrating a proposal of marriage between the two friends.

When she opening the door she barely recognized the emotional wreck standing there as her her best friend Jackie. "What the hell" pulling her into the bedroom. "I thought Hyde was going to propose to you tonight and give you that ring he got inscribed."

"In a word Kelso"

"Kelso gave me a lift to Chicago and managed to spill coffee on everything. So when we got to the motel I let Kelso use the shower and when he came out I showered off all the coffee. Kelso shouted something about getting some Ice and went out.

"There was knock on the door and there was Steven, me in a towel and then Kelso arrived still wearing only a towel. Steven just looked hurt grabbed Kelso's towel and ran him off before disappearing without even trying to listen to me. I got Kelso to to drive me back here to find him before he doe's something stupid to get back at me. Remember the nurse?"

"Jackie I don't think there's anything we can do till daylight. If his cars not there he's not back yet. You'd better stay here and get some sleep. God knows I haven't had any yet. I've just finished a letter for Eric"

"God with my Steven troubles I clean forgotten that Eric had left yesterday. How are you feeling Donna."

"For almost the first time in nearly fifteen years I can't sense Eric near me. We've both been able to sense when we been close, even during the break-up and after that failed marriage attempt."

"Thats why you were always already smiling before Eric came into view and come to think of it the same goes for Eric." I begin to see why you and Eric are together, now come on tell me the rest (Jackie's sense of gossip gets the better of her own tragedy)."

"The whole of the High School wondered that all the time and it constantly worried Eric. Eric has always been in the right place and been able to say the the right thing to make me feel better what ever the problem."

"What about the breakup." "That was down to Eric's insecurity. He didn't think that I would stay with him always. Our marriage attempt was too early, neither of us was ready for marriage.'

"What about the sex Donna." Donna, for once overcoming her normal reticence, answers, Eric is great in bed and once Kitty bought that book 'The Joys of Sex' we have worked our way through it finding what works for the both of us plus Eric has got great stamina, he made me come about ten times last night and I still sore in places from all that loving"

'Eww Donna, a simple great would have sufficed." "No it wouldn't, Eric has always had to hear at least half the school wondering why I was dating a geek and the other half wondering aloud as to when I would dump him for one of the corvette crowd." "So Jackie, what is that you see in Hyde?'

"This minute, I don't really know, with the bastard stalking out of Chicago without even listening to what I was trying to tell him."

Three hours later and two tubs of chocolate ice cream later Jackie was reading Donna's letter to Eric while Donna slept. She was crying her eyes out both from the loss of Hyde and from Donna's raw emotions poured out into the tear stained letter. She came to a decision and then woke Donna up.

"I read your letter to Eric and it really pulls on the heartstrings and I can see that your growing up and accepting that Eric is in your future and if you two can create that joint vision you write about then your going to be together forever. One thing though, I would copy that letter before sending it, I would like to buy the book! Now lets go find Hyde before he does something stupid.

Eric, was now in his London Airport hotel waiting out the 8 hours till his flight to Kenya was ready. He would be meeting the London agent for the scholarship before leaving the hotel as he was to add a trunk, to his luggage, for the School in Africa. He had finished his letter to Donna pouring out his love, despair at being so far from her and his hopes and plans for their future together. He also could no longer sense that Donna was close but had only to look into his heart to see her smiling there.


	2. Chapter 2 Into Africa

Hyde had parked his car around the corner from the Foreman's so that no one would know he as there. That way he could think through what had happened that night and figure out what to do next. After the incident with the nurse he wasn't about to go off half-cocked again, but he figured that a few gallons of beer would probably be consumed before a decision was made.

He could hear Kitty in the kitchen starting breakfast and he heard Donna asking if Hyde had been back at all.

'No I haven't seen Hyde, if his car is not in the drive then he's probably still in Chicago, but what are you doing here Jackie, I though Steven was going to see you in Chicago.'

"Kelso happened, he split coffee all over both of us when he was driving me to Chicago and he had to take a shower to get the coffee off. Instead of getting dressed he went for some ice while I showered off the coffee and then Steven arrived, saw me in a towel and then Kelso came back, also in a towel and with Steven one plus one equals three and he assumed, wrongly, that Kelso and I had been doing it, He grabbed Kelso's towel and chased him not stopping to listen to any explanation at all and that's the last I saw of him. I decided to come back here and find Steven before he does something stupid. I'll probably lose the job but Steven's more important than the job."

"So Steven thinks you been cheating on him with Kelso. Well if I see him I'll tell him to see Donna as he probably wouldn't want to see you Jackie."

"Yeah, he's not real good at talking about his feelings or his problems. Its usually Eric who manages to make him see sense."

Anyway, sit down and I'll make you girls some breakfast and we can let our hair down, Hyde goes back to his room and tries to absorb what he heard, can he believe it knowing Kelso. Jackie knows what's its like to be cheated on by both Kelso and myself, Hyde goes to bed with a six-pack to think through everything he's seen and heard over the last 24 hours.

In Kitty's kitchen, the three women are talking through their last 24 hours and the buckets of tears that each of then has cried, so much so that their coffees are getting watery. Kitty say's "well girls crying is good for the soul but too much is bad for the coffee. We have to get on with life, we need some plans, Donna, the plan for us is simple, get Eric back home and for your to marry Eric."

Donna's coffee sprays everywhere as she hears what Kitty has just said.

Kitty says "Yeah that right, I've known for many years, that the plans for your life have included Eric in them, even after that marriage attempt."

"But Kitty, you've always tried to... " " I'm his mother, I'll always be jealous of another woman in Eric's heart, but I think Eric's heart is big enough for the both of us. Jackie, yours is the more immediate problem as the more time, goes by the more likely Steven is to do something really stupid. We need to find him and quickly, so you girls need to look in all the places he could be like Grooves and check them out."

Donna walks out with Jackie to her car. "Looks like your going to be staying with me for a why, I'll get Dad to clean the junk out of Tina's room and get you moved in there." They start to drive off towards Grooves

"Thanks Donna, I need to phone the studio later to tell them that I'm not going to take the job as something's come up in Point Place. Donna stop!" Out of the corner of her eye she had spotted a black El Camino sitting out of the way in a side street. "Back the car up and going down that street."

Donna parks by the El Camino why Jackie gets out opens the hood, takes out the rotor arm and ignition leads to immobilize the car and prints two words on the windscreen with lipstick. 'SEE RED.' "Come on, we'll leave these with Red and Kitty can explain to Red what has happened."

BA Flight No 0063 was just landing at Embakasi Airport, Nairobi in Kenya at around 6 pm local time. Eric didn't know it, but he was the last of three international flights just landed and he ended up at the back of about three hundred passengers all being processed through 3 passport control booths, so it took him about an hour and a half to get through to the passenger meeting point having fought his way to his baggage and having it inspected by customs.

He spotted a nun with his name written on a board standing together with a local man who was introduced as Paul Keino by the nun who introduced herself as Sister Beatrice. Since its so late we get you checked into the Airport hotel for the night and Paul will pick you up at 7 am. The roads are not metaled and would be too rough for the Peugeot 407 we've brought to travel at night.

Eric again found himself alone in a hotel room, waiting out the night waiting for dawn to see more of the country he had come to teach in. The next morning Eric managed to get up with the dawn and get breakfast before Paul arrived to pick him up.

They drove into Nairobi to pick Sister Beatrice up from a convent near the centre of town. Eric realized that they were driving south-east towards Mombassa on the coast when they turned off to the south at a signpost with the name Magadi on it, which Eric recognized as being part of the postal address of the school, and were driving along a road which was indeed bumpy and produced columns of red dust behind the car.

Paul pointed out the sites from small villages to massive trees, and they were now descending into the southern half of the Rift valley. In the distance Eric could see a lake glistening in the sun. Sister Beatrice said that the town by the lake was where they turned off and followed the road to the south for another 10 miles and they would arrive at the school compound at about 11 am.

Eric was somewhat amazed by the size of the compound which as Sister Beatrice contained not just the Teacher training College but also a large high school, a hospital and a convent for the nun who were mainly doctors and nurses at the hospital. There was also a fairly large construction site and a sports field.

Paul dropped Sister Beatrice off at the convent and took Eric to his accommodation, which was very similar to college dorms in the States but were designed for one person only. After taking a shower and changing Eric was shown around the rest of the Dorm and the college by one of the other students who then took him to lunch.

After lunch Eric was taken to the Deans Office for his initial interview with the Dean, Father Michael. As he entered the office Father Michael was reading a thinnish file.

"Sit down Eric and thank you for escorting the message trunk from London for us and call me Dean, its shorter than Father Michael. First the administrative stuff."

"One: The official day starts at 7 am with jogging down at the sports field. All the pupils at the high school participate and are rather good at it. Most of us do 5,000 meters 6 days a week. You should be able to work up to that in about 2 weeks."

"Two: Your first month is purely in the Teacher Training College learning how to teach and after that your time will be split evenly between TTC and the High School. It has 1100 pupils most of whom stay at the school during the week before going home for the weekend though some of them live far away and can only get home at the end of term."

"Three: This is an US accredited facility and if you succeed here you will home both with the course credits needed to pass your first year in college and a scholarship that covers your fees at , looks at Eric's file, University of Wisconsin and a reasonable proportion of your living expenses. You're wondering why the World Educational Council is so generous? We are hoping that after college you will come to teach for us in one of our worldwide sites, though that's not compulsory."

"Four: You will have noticed that there is a convent attached to this facility manly providing the medical staff for the hospital. Well our female students are also accommodated there and we wouldn't want any misunderstandings would we. We also have some married students and they're accommodated in the block next to your accommodation."

"Five: Every weekend we run a shopping bus to Magadi which as a range of shops where you can spend the allowance we pay you every Friday. By the way you can earn extra by giving English language classes to the Taiwanese construction crew from ASEAN who are building the new school. They also run classes in Tai Chi and Kung Fu in the evenings.'

Six: Never swim in the lake without someone to carry a rifle, as there are hippos in the water, though mostly further round the lake and it was better to be safe than sorry.

"On a more personal note I've been reading Pastor Dave's references for you and have a few words of advice on how to deal with loneliness and being away from your family and Donna." It will take about a week but homesickness will hit unless you learn to keep yourself busy both during the day and during the evening hence five above.

Donna is a different matter, Pastor Dave tells me that you have lived next door to each other for nearly fifteen ears and that you have been in love with each other since you were sixteen and that you haven't exactly been modest in that time." You need to write her lots of letters and phone her every week though I will tell you that you will be happy and depressed after each call. If your having problems my door is always open, so if you need to talk, talk. One of the things you specifically have to learn to avoid is taking unilateral decisions for both of you.

Eric's heart was beating faster at the mention of Donna and was just beginning to realize how hard this year was going to be for both of them. This was the first time since dawn that Eric had thought of Donna and he realized that the only way to get through the year was to fill his days and evenings with things to do. But what to do about the nights was another matter entirely. The Dean was right; Donna and I have to learn to decide things about us together.

The Dean rang a bell for his secretary to arrange for Eric to have a tour of the whole facility and a further medical at the hospital where he was passed fit and was given a supply of anti malaria tablets which had to be taken everyday and he was shown how to ensure that the mosquito net in his room was used efficiently.

After dinner Eric played snooker and some ping-pong with the other students before going to bed for the night. He went straight to sleep because he was so tired from all the traveling and new sites. He was woken up at 6 am with knocking at his door from Brian one of the other students telling him to get ready for his morning jog.

Eric was on the field doing his warm up exercises along with the entire college and school including the Dean. He had been told that one round of the compound was about 1 klick. "Klick?" It was a word his father had used when they had gone out hunting together but he had never found out what it meant. "Klick, its one kilometer, about 5/8ths of a mile" said one of the other students. Eric set off being passed by everybody, and collapsed in a heap after the first round. However after one week Eric was able to run two rounds without collapsing and indeed at the end of two weeks was painfully able to run the full 5 klicks.

Donna had come to a decision and phoned Fez at to tell him about it and make an appointment to get her hair done. She also called Jackie to meet her at the Mall later and called Kitty to see if Hyde had surfaced yet.

After posting Eric's letter Donna went to her hairdressing appointment where Donna told Fez everything that had happened to Jackie while Fez washed her hair and arranged for him to meet with Jackie later in the malls coffee shop.

Donna walked into the coffee shop with a new slightly shorter hairstyle with a deep red coloring,

Jackie noticed at once and said "welcome back lumberjack, that's' a statement of intent if ever I saw one. All you need now is a nerd boy attached to your arm."

"I'm going to need you to take a whole new set of photographs of me to send to Eric. I need to keep him reminded of what he's missing."

Fez walks in saying that he'd just got off the phone with Red who had checked that Hyde was still in his basement bunker with a caseload of empty beer cans and that he probably wouldn't surface till the morning and recommended that they come over before breakfast so that they could remove the dumb-asses foot from his mouth and explain exactly what had gone on in Chicago.

Fez, "Now we have till tomorrow morning to come up with how to tell Hyde that nothing happened between Jackie and Kelso." "Knowing Hyde, the plain unvarnished truth might be best especially when not telling the truth seems to blow up in everyone's faces around here."

"That might be best Jackie, but we can talk about it while we get you stuffed move into Tina's room." Bob said that he would get it cleaned out today, especially as most of Tina's stuff is in California anyway."

Hyde wakes up to the sound of sizzling, not bacon, but 2 'Alka Seltzers' hissing away very loudly in a glass of water with the glass being held by Fez. "There's a family conference being held in the kitchen in place of breakfast and you presence is requested, nay demanded, you have five minutes to get dressed and drink the aspirin, I have the feeling that your going to need it."

Hyde walked into the kitchen five minutes later to be confronted with Kitty, Red, Bob, Fez, Donna and Jackie. "I thought you said family."

"Yes, yours and Jackie's" Red says "Sit down dumb-ass and listen carefully."

Jackie again tells the story that Hyde had heard the previous day before launching into the case of beer that was currently playing Styx in his held at stadium noise levels from a speakers positioned inside his brain to the right and left of his frontal lobes.

Although he knew that Jackie was telling the plain unvarnished truth his jealous streak was getting in the way. " Come on Jackie both of you were naked under those towels, what did you expect me to believe and do."

"I expected you to at least listen to me, especially to someone who has been cheated on by her only two boyfriends, before running off to god knows where."

"Jackie I know I'm insanely jealous when it comes to you, but you had been trying to force me to make a long term commitment to you and I had been struggling for some time to reach a decision before coming to see you in Chicago even though you had said that you would wait for me."

"I needed to get to Chicago that day as the TV Studio was only holding the job open until the next day. So Kelso drove me. I didn't know if I would ever see you again, I still don't know. Steven do you believe me?"

"Yes, but I'm not able to give you an absolute commitment to our future, only that I hope that we have a long term future. Listen can I take you to dinner tonight to talk about it. Also if you need a job, why not come to work at Grooves, just don't recommend The Captain and Tennille to the customers or play it aloud in the store."

"Thank you Steven, I'll come to dinner with you and talk over my contract of employment at Grooves, you know I don't come cheap.'

Kitty's pleased with the outcome, though recognizes they still need to rebuild the trust needed in a loving couple, gets up and says what does everyone want for breakfast." Donna and Jackie both offer to help but Kitty wanting to keep her pans unburned declines. "But you know, Donna if you want, come over every other afternoon and I teach you to cook, the way Eric likes.

"Ok but don't tell Eric.


	3. Chapter 3 Letters

_A week later two postmen almost simultaneously delivery letters to Donna and Eric, they run to their rooms to read their letter in private._

_Donna to Eric,_

Darling Eric,

You only been gone twelve hours and already I miss you, note the tear stains on the pages, it took me a long time to get home from the airport as I was crying for most of the time. Only you have the ability to make me cry, and I know that's because I love you. I cried when I had to return your promise ring, I cried when I had to go to California because you wouldn't take me back, I cried when you left me alone at the wedding rehearsal and I'm crying now because you're far from me so far away I cannot feel your presence and it scares me. I've always known when you've been close to me.

_Eric to Donna,_

Darling Donna,

When I was taking off I could feel your presence below me in the car park though I couldn't see you from the window. I could feel you getting further and further away from me until I was all alone.

I love you and have loved you since well since the day we first met as five year olds and I want to tell you that I love you every day of our lives.

_Donna to Eric,_

I know what you have had to do to ensure that we are able to go to college together, sacrifice a year of our lives together, and while I'm very unhappy at you going, just wait to the welcome you get from me and everyone else when you get back.

_Eric to Donna,_

I miss you terribly already and I now that this feeling of missing you will get worse as time goes by by somehow or other for our future I have to get through this year so that our life together can go on forever.

_Donna to Eric,_

I told you when you climbed through the window that I also had doubts about the marriage, but I never really told you that I had also packed a bag ready to leave, because I was unsure if we were doing the right thing. I couldn't find the courage to talk to you about it, but, I stayed, and you left and the only reason that you were able to convince me of why you left was that I already knew that you were right, we were so young then, but dammit, Red, Bob and Kitty pushed us into that event. Midge was right when she said I had to take you back because I still loved you and I hoped that you still did. I knew that you loved me still when you climbed through my window and back into my heart. You held me tight while I cried through that night and told me that you loved me.

Even when we were broken up after I returned your promise ring I loved you and only you. You were there for me when my mother left and even though I virtually raped you that night and later told Hyde that that I would have done it with anyone, its was only you that I wanted and needed that night.

_Eric to Donna,_

When I climbed through your window after the wedding rehearsal, I was afraid that you would throw me straight back out the window and that it had destroyed our love. You told me to get into bed and we would talk it out in the morning. Somehow we never really managed to talk it all the way out.

I was afraid that after a couple of years of marriage that you would leave me because we had both settled for the easy way and stayed in Point Place rather than going to college and at least attempting to live our dreams for the future. I tried to talk to about these fears but you wouldn't let me so I disappeared before the wedding and hoped that you wouldn't hate me forever. From that I have learned that we need to talk more about the things that matter to us so that me make these decisions together.

All through high school I heard everybody wandering what you saw in me to keep us together all that time and I guess that me somewhat insecure in our relationship and that's what led to the promise ring and my own stupid pride, when you returned the ring, kept us apart even though I still loved you throughout the breakup. Pride and stubbornness also got in the way when you wanted to get back with me after Casey and I refused. I promise not to let pride get in the way of our love for each other. Though I can honestly say that I proud of you and your ambitions for the both of us.

_Donna to Eric,_

When you told me that you had signed up for a scholarship I was happy until you told me that it was for a year in Africa and my whole world collapsed around me. My boyfriend (Fiancée ? I'm still holding you to your promise to marry me) was leaving me and it took some very fancy talking to stop me from leaving you there and then. But I realized that life didn't do you any favors with Red's heart attack and Red having to use your college money to buy the muffler business. You were doing what you had to do to protect our future together. But Eric no more decisions about us on your own. Talk to me first or you are in deep trouble.

_Eric to Donna,_

I know that the whole African scholarship deal came out of left field and left you angry and confused as to why I was doing it, though I managed to persuade you that it was important to our future that I do this I know it still hurts you deeply that I took this decision without talking it through with you first. I know that if we had talked it through first I wouldn't have been able to make the decision to leave you for one whole year. I also decided that in out lives together decisions are going to have to be talked through and taken together. Its always been when we haven't been able to talk that that bad things happen to us and I cannot risk losing you ever again. I love you too much to risk that.

The College makes arrangements for its students to phone home on a fortnightly basis for an hour so be around on Friday nights at about 11 p.m. and we can talk about our lives up-to now and about our future together.

_Donna to Eric,_

I'm going to have to leave it here as someone is knocking on the door and Bob must already be asleep.

I love you Eric XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Love Donna.

p.s. Even though you only left today, the Twins are already missing your Evermore hands.

_Eric to Donna,_

They've announced that we're landing in London shortly. I'll post this from the Airport tomorrow morning.

I love you Donna XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Love Eric

p.s. I made a decision when I was packing to leave, and I have crated up all my Action Man and Star Wars figures and comic books and put them into the basement for good I have decided that its time I grew up and leave behind my childhood playthings, I am going to work very hard in Africa to earn my future with you. They're in boxes under the bed. Get Hyde to take them to the next Star Wars Convention and sell them all off and I will use the money to buy one of those Apple II computers that everybody's talking about.

_When they'd finished reading both were crying buckets into their pillows and were finding it difficult to sleep with the longing each had for the other._


	4. Chapter 4 School

The next morning Eric was up at 5 a.m. having slept fleetingly through the night. This was his first morning of Tai Chi lessons before the morning torture session of a two mile jog. He knew he was getting fitter by the fact that he wasn't stopping at one mile and no longer throwing up after two miles.

Eric was now teaching English to the new boss of the ASEAN construction Company together with his team of managers and in return was getting lessons in Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Mandarin. To Eric this seemed a fair trade as his English lessons consumed one hour per day plus about three hours of preparation per week and in return he was being kept busy for a further 16 hours of lessons where he was too busy to think. of home and Donna.

Tai Chi was described by his instructor as ""tai chi chuan" which translate as "supreme ultimate boxing" or "boundless fist with an emphasis on finding balance between two great extremes. The concept of the "supreme ultimate" is the symbol of the Taijitu meant to show the principles of Yin and Yang duality of Taoist philosophy. Thus, tai chi theory and practice evolved in agreement with many of the principles of chinese philosophy and taoism in particular. Tai chi training first and foremost involves learning solo routines, known as _forms_ (套路 taolu). While the image of tai chi chuan in popular culture is typified by exceedingly slow movement, many tai chi styles (including the three most popular, Yang, Wu and Chen have secondary forms of a faster pace. The other half of traditional tai chi training consists of partner exercises known as pushing hands, and martial applications of the postures of the form." Eric was to use the partner exercises to learn the basics quickly so that he could use Tai Chi for his warm up exercises.

Eric's first week in teacher training consisted of firstly a SAT test then lessons in the preparation of lessons and in assessments as to what subjects he was most suited to. On Friday he had been told that he was to concentrate on English, mathematics and physics as the results of his SAT test had showed that these were his best subjects. When he queried the math and physics he was told that within the 1225 SAT score he tested at, that these centered on physics math and English. His tutor, one of the Jesuits attached to the College advised him that the new SAT score taken together with the credits he should gain from a year here would recognized as a first year at any accredited US college.

On the Saturday morning after jogging Eric showered and changed quickly in order to catch the shopping bus into Nagadi where Brian a Scottish student from Aberdeen had promised to show him around the shops and how to bargain with the traders as fixed prices were unknown here. Eric had brought some US Dollars with him and had opened a bank account in the British East African Bank whose branch was in the hospital.

Eric had kept back some of this money to buy a small stereo boom-box to play the tapes that he had brought from home. Brian had told him roughly how much these cost here and Eric was quite frankly amazed by how little the cost was.

By the time the bus got to Magadi it was 10.30 a.m. and they were dropped off at the shopping district which was split up into separate sectors for clothing, electronics, music tapes, food and gold. The market was a colorful place teeming with people and local produce. The food market was an area where the local farmers came to sell their produce and contained smell from the exotic to the horrible . from spices through to flower scents and from the smell of fresh fish through to rotting fish in the markets garbage bins.

After wandering around Eric bough a miniature boom-box together with earphones for listening to late at night and after finding out that the music tapes cost only about 1US$ each bought about 20 tapes many of which were unfamiliar to him consisting of English pop, jazz, folk music and some of the indigenous music from local musicians. They were so cheap that he could afford to sample everything.

They had lunch in a local hotel bar with some local beer to wash down lunch and keep the local food poisoning at bay. After lunch they wandered around the gold market looking at the array of locally produced jewelry and the imported stuff mainly from Italy. Most of the Gold traders were Arabic in origin and Brian said that they were prepared to bargain for months to make a sale. To prove his point Brian took Eric into one of the bigger shops and introduced him to Mahmoud and asked him to show him the necklace he wanted to buy for his girlfriend back in Aberdeen. Mahmoud brought out a gold necklace that Eric knew that Fenton wouldn't sell him for less than $1,000 in Point Place. Here the current price was at $600 in Mahmoud's favor. Eric looked around the showcases quickly spotting a ring that looked very similar to Donna's old engagement ring but about three to four times the size with more precious stones in it. Mahmoud came across to show him the ring and and to say that it would cost about $1,200.

Eric winced at this knowing that he would only be able to afford this after saving his college money for six months. Brian knowing more about how to bargain whispered in Eric's ear. " Offer him $400 and ask him to keep it for you if you really want the ring." Both Mahmoud and Brian could see the longing in Eric's eyes when Eric made the offer. Mahmoud countered with $1,150 and sensing that it would take some time to complete the bargain put the ring in the safe with Brian's necklace.

On the way back to the bus Brian asked who the ring was for having heard a little of Eric's family life in Wisconsin but far less of Donna. " Its for my girlfriend Donna to replace the one she gave up a year ago when I didn't turn up for the wedding."

You what! And she's still waiting for you." At that Eric pulls out a picture of Donna from his wallet and Brian says, "you mad bastard not marrying a girl who looks like that."

"We were both too young and we both knew the marriage would not have lasted five years, but when I get home, I hope we can get married and go to college together. Who is the necklace for?"

"My girlfriend, Fiona, taking a photo of a pretty girl out of his wallet to show Eric, you'll be able to meet her in five months, she's coming here as a fee paying student when she's completed her degree at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh."

"Fee Paying?"

" Yeah that what's all the new building work is about, an expansion of the college an high school to include fee paying student's and Fiona will be one of the first students.'

After that they headed to a restaurant for some dinner before taking the bus back to the college.

On the bus they talk about their respective girlfriends.

Brian was saying "that he had known Fiona since his second year in university but that they had only been going out seriously for the last year and that she hadn't been too happy about me going to Africa until she heard that they were also running a new program for fee paying students. The Dean said that we could get married here if we wanted to. It was very lonely here for the first month until I got used to the routine here and was able to occupy all my waking hours and go to bed tired. But its still hard after getting a letter from her or even worse hearing her voice on the phone."

"I know what you mean man, I got my first letter from Donna yesterday and the tears were flowing. Funnily enough it's the first letter I ever got from her and she brought up a lot of things that needed to see the light of day and be talked about.'

"You've never had a letter from her."

"Yeah, we've lived next door to each other since we were five."

"You know Fiona say's that she was able to write about our issues which we could never talk about and that the letters had cleared the problems and baggage so that we could be happy to get married."

On arrival Eric picks up a message to see the Dean after Church tomorrow before heading for his room to makes an early night of it to listen to his new boombox and re-read Donna's letter.


	5. Chapter 5 Loneliness

Donna woke up after a night of tossing and turning over Eric's letter but was happy that Eric was going to phone on Friday night.

After showering and preparing herself for a day as Hot Donna on her radio show she headed downstairs to breakfast where Jackie was waiting to pounce.

As Donna got some cereal and made some coffee, Jackie began to talk.

"Is been nearly a week and still I haven't really talked to Steven, even though I've worked at Grooves all of this week, about anything more meaningful than where to stack the records, and we really need to talk about trust otherwise this relationship isn't going anywhere soon. Donna, how are you feeling about Eric after his letter."

"In a word, lonely, I mean for my whole life apart from holidays and California I've been next door to Eric, If I wanted to talk to him I only needed to walk next door, when I needed cheering up he's only next door, and when I need to laugh he would always find a way and when I wanted to make out or be loved or just held and cuddled he was only 23 steps away. We have a sort of telepathy, as quite often he would appear at my door when I needed him or I would be at his door if he needed me. Like when my mother left, he was at my door with one of his mother's casseroles and how did I repay that, by raping him even though he enjoyed himself and then him being told that I would have done it with anyone. Even that night with Casey in the motel I was trying to avoid doing it with him because I realized that I was still in love with Eric, so whenever the fire alarm went off I was out the door in double quick time."

"Steven told me that he went over and pulled the fire alarm all night."

"I always thought that it was Eric, in fact I gave him hell for it the next day, I'll have to thank Hyde for that. I can't imagine making love to anyone but Eric.'

"Why is that Donna?"

"Because he's great in bed, OK when we first started making love it was awkward and not very good, but as we went on it became better and better if a bit repetitive with the three basic positions and when Eric tried to get adventurous by trying that thing from a porno movie it was a shock, Then Kitty got that book 'The Joys of Sex' and we worked our way through it and finding out that there were lots of different ways to please each other from full sex to oral sex on each other to finding innovative to using the twins and my mouth at the same time and Eric's no slouch in the trouser monkey size."

She uses her hands to show Jackie who says "wow that's bigger than Kelso and about the same as Hyde, you are a lucky girl Donna."

Donna cry's a little and says, "but I'm not getting any and I miss that. I can't just walk next door when I'm feeling horny and grab Eric; he's several thousand miles away. I like the physical connection I have with Eric, but most of all I like the fact that we can just cuddle in bed when we don't have a need to do it

"When Eric gets home I think you'd better get a hotel room for a week. With Kelso there was always pressure to do it and when I wanted more than just sex he wasn't able to give me any emotions other than, let's do it. Then when I really wanted more than just sex he ran away to California. Then with Steven the sex was good but his Zen always got in the way, there were times when I felt that he wanted more than just sex but he couldn't figure out how to express it and his possessiveness was dangerous as it was revenge based, hence that nurse incident."

"Oh God is that the time I need to get going and think happy thoughts for 'AM with Hot Donna'. I'll see you this afternoon before I start the second shift as the evening news reader."

Jackie was stacking some records in the milk boxes Grooves used to stack records when Steven came over and said "that we need to talk and get what happen last week out of there systems. I'll get Mike to cover us and we can go for lunch and talk."

"Ok Steven, its about time."

At the lunch box over sandwiches and coffee Steven started by saying that he believed Jackie's side about what happened at the motel in Chicago but that it had taken some time for him to get his feelings for Jackie sorted out."

"First, there was the pressure from you for me to marry you. I realize now that it wasn't you trying to get married immediately but to have the thought there so that you could sort out what to do next."

"Steven your right, listen I don't have enough money to live on, with my father in jail and my mother spending the rest on Tequila. If we didn't have a future then I needed to find a job away from Point Place and when you got drunk in the brewery warehouse, I thought that was your answer and I went to Chicago to start afresh, only that Goofy Kelso was the only one available to give me a lift."

"Yeah! I'm going to give Kelso another week or so before telling him that the incident is forgotten, so we shouldn't see much of him till next week."

"Actually, he's in Chicago trying to persuade Brooke to come back to Point Place with Betsy so that they can get married."

"Ok where do we go from here Jackie?"

" I think we take it slowly and go out on a few dates, build up the trust and take it from there. I'm living with Donna now and you've given me a job, so do you want to have dinner tonight?"

"Yes that would be great."

"OK that's a date, so now that I've got you in a good mood I need a couple of hours off. I have to get ready for dinner and find time to see Donna."

In Kitty's kitchen Jackie had just arrived to find Donna in an apron mixing dough under Kitty's supervision with dough everywhere from the tip of her nose to her fingers and all over the counter. "OK with the size of your hands and strength kneading the dough should have been no problem. Anyway, we'll let it rise overnight and bake it for tomorrow to go with dinner. Both you girls can help prepare dinner tomorrow, everyone's coming so that they can say hello to Eric when he calls."

The following night in the dining room at the Foreman's was Red, Kitty, Jackie, Hyde, Donna, Kelso, Brooke and Betsy talking about dinner with Hyde and Kelso studiously ignoring each other. Kelso had been told that Hyde believed Jackie though he wouldn't be talking to Kelso anytime soon, so that when Kelso said that he and Brooke were engaged Hyde congratulated Brooke nodded to Kelso but said nothing to him.

As the evening went by, everybody was drinking beer or Kitty's wine. They were telling stories of Eric not only dumbassing it over one thing or another but stories of how he fixed things between the group when they were broken. Such as when Hyde's mother abandoned him and Eric persuaded his parents to give him a place in their house and eventually to thinking of him as another son.

As eleven o'clock approached Donna was starting to get anxious especially when Kitty took the phone from the living room into Red's nook so that she could have some privacy to talk to Eric. "Donna, lay it on Eric heavy that you are missing him."

The phone rang and as arranged the kitchen phone was lifted together with Donna's phone and everybody said "Hi Eric" then left Donna to talk to Eric. Strangely she was feeling connected to Eric again making her much happier.

"Hi there Eric I miss you."

Eric was feeling the same connection to Donna and knew that she was feeling happier now that they could talk to each other. "H Donna I miss you."

"Eric, I love you are in all my hopes and dreams of our future, as the father of our children, at the Pulitzer prizes when I get my Pulitzer, in Paris and together in our old age watching our grandchildren playing together." Donna was pulling out the big guns knowing that Eric knew what her hopes were in writing and traveling and that by including Eric in these that he would know that Donna wanted him above all else." She could feel his heart speed up over the phone and said "Remember that I said that we were still engaged because somehow or other we never got around to officially getting unengaged, well I mean it, you better marry me when you get home before we go to college."

Eric, hearing this knew that Donna meant what she had just said and that he now inhabited all her dreams and hopes and that his greatest hope to marry Donna before going to college together would now happen. "Donna I love and miss you, I can't sleep very well without you in my head. I mean your always in my heart but here in Africa its only now that we're together on the phone that I feel you with me again. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle the loneliness without you. If we're able to talk on the phone and write every week I should just about be able to make it.

'I know what you mean, I've got my family, your family and the gang to keep me from being to lonely but the nights still get to me and I wake up though the night calling for you, because you not there to cheer me up, love me, make out and just to hold me when I'm crying and I cry a lot just now. I mean there are tears streaming down my face now."

"Believe me there are tears in my eyes right now and I don't know how I'm going to get through the rest of Saturday in one piece. The Dean wants to see me after church tomorrow. I think he does this for all the new students after their first call home. That's what Brian say's."

"Brian?"

"Oh, he's one of the students here. His girlfriends in Scotland and is starting at the school hear in a couple of months under a new six month fee paying program."

"I'd better pass you on to Kitty and the others but I'll be back before you have to call off."

"Kitty and Red filled Eric out with the latest family and Point Place news as well a the latest location report on his sister Laurie now believed to be in Mexico somewhere close to Jackie's mother.

Jackie told Eric about Steven and Kelso in Chicago and about her date with Steven the night before. "I'm working at Grooves now and dating Steven so maybe we can get back together in a better way than before. I've got Steven talking beyond his normal Zen."

Kelso told him about not yet making it up with Hyde but mainly about Brooke and about how Betsy was growing.

Fez asked about how the candy in Africa tasted.

Hyde asked him if he had filled the baggie yet. "Not yet, I'm in the middle of a Roman Catholic compound so there's none here and quite frankly without my friends to share it with I don't miss it. Hyde your going to have to go all the way with Jackie this time and play it straight. Both you and Kelso cheated on her and I don't think she could stand for that to happen again so don't."

"Mom, can you look after Donna I know you've gone through this kind of separation with Red being away at war and know what sort of emotional roller coaster she's experiencing."

Donna listening to all on this on the other phones says "Thank you Eric, I love you, but who's going to help you?"

"You, the Gang, Red and Kitty by phone and letter and just working and studying every waking hour of day and toughing out the nights when I feel the absence of you the most, I love you Donna."

Donna recognizing the steel in Eric's voice knows that he's determined to see out the full year if he could and she promised to help him as much as she could while the tears fell from her eyes, throws one last curveball by saying that she's now a redhead again and will send him some new photos to prove it.

"Wow that's good Donna, I always preferred Big Red."

Kitty picked up the phone and said "good night Eric" and everyone shouts "good night Eric" leaving the two lovers alone to say their private goodnights.

Donna came into the kitchen still crying and flung herself into Kitty's arms saying that she didn't know how she was going to get through the year with only Eric's voice and letters to comfort her. Everyone else went through to the living room leaving Donna with Kitty.

"I remember every-time I got a letter from Red I was giddy with happiness to hear from him but alone in my bed I felt so alone and worried for him. If his letter didn't arrive on time I was crying. I learned to keep extremely busy to make the time pass quicker. Your going to cry a lot so here's an extra large box of Pigly Wiggly tissues for tonight. Eric's is jogging 2 miles, taking Tai Chi, kung fu and Chinese lessons who'd have believed it."

"I Know! I still do tai chi and Karate so I know how fit Eric's going to get over the year, hmm interesting."

Jackie comes through and goes home with Donna where Donna tells Bob about some of the things that Eric has already done in Africa and about some of the less personal things they talked about before saying goodnight.

Jackie and Donna talked on into the night about Eric and Steven making copious use of Kitty's tissues before going to sleep.

Eric's Saturday consisted of a late jog followed by his first lessons in kung fu alongside the men from ASEAN and after lunch, preparing the teaching materials for his first supervised teaching session in the school. But, after dinner he went to his room put on some music lay down in his bed and cried tears of shear loneliness.


	6. Chapter 6 At School

**At School**

Eric knocked on the Dean's office door after church on Sunday morning an went in after hearing

"Come in Eric."

Eric sat down.

"I usually have a chat with my new students once they've been here for about a week about how they are settling into life at the college. It usually takes about a week before you realize how far away from home and how long it's going to be before you see your family, friends and loved ones again. Letters and phone calls both help and make things worse at the same time, don't they Eric?"

"Yes they do. Friday night's call home was wonderful but oh afterwards I was feeling very lonely again and elated at the same time. Finally mine and Donnas' hopes and dreams all seem to be on the same page, but man, I miss her terribly. But I want to complete this scholarship and Donna realizes that."

"What support does Donna have at home? You have the college staff and me with the experience to offer guidance where needed. I can arrange for one of our members in Wisconsin to see her and offer guidance. I think that Pastor Dave would be the closest."

"Did you say Pastor Dave!" "Yes." "Donna has her father and Kitty my mother who went through something similar when Red, my Dad went to war. She wasn't happy that I came here, but she realizes that this is the only way I can afford to go to college with her."

"Donnas' going to college?"

"Yeah, she has an even higher SAT score than mine and her dad can afford all the fees and living expense, but she's waiting for me to get back before she goes."

"Hmm, anyway what I asked you here for was a little research project on the reasons that we offer so many scholarships. I know that I know the reasons but we like the students to work it out for themselves and to think about those reasons. I would suggest that you use some of your spare time and have it ready for me in a month."

"You mean all the other students have doing it."

"A joint efforts fine as long as each of you writes their own conclusion. Anyway its time for lunch." Eric gets and leaves as the Dean picks up his phone and places a call to his old friend Pastor Dave in Point Place for 4pm.

Pastor Dave puts the phone down after chatting to his old friend The Dean for an hour both at a business level as the current chairman of the WEC Regional Committee and as The Deans old friend from college.

He picks up the phone and calls Pastor Dan and asks him to make some arrangements for the afternoon after services are finished.

After the church service 3 Pastor Dan's church Pastor Dan was waiting for Donna and Bob to come out so that he could ask to visit them in the afternoon together with Pastor Dave so that they could talk to Donna.

Donna immediately thought that something has happened to Eric.

"No Donna Eric's fine physically, its just that we want to talk to you."

Later that afternoon in the Pinciotti's living room Donna, Bob and the two pastors were sitting down for their chat.

"The Dean, that's Bishop Dean Allen, the Dean of the Magadi Teacher Training College that Eric's a student at phoned me up this morning before services to tell me about Eric's progress and to raise an idea which I need to discuss with you."

"First a little background. Up to now the college has run 12 month scholarship courses only in the hope that some of the students would return from college to help the World Education Council train the future teachers in under developed countries. The African college is expanding to allow fee paying students to go for six months and if successful this would add six months worth of course units to the students records as the college is fully accredited world wide."

"The Dean suggested that you should go if you wanted to start out college life with Eric in five months rather than eleven months when Eric comes home. Mind you the girls dorms are in the convent."

"Good point," says Bob knowing Donnas' feelings for Eric, "Eric won' climb into a convent."

"Donna is thinking, "not only do I get to see Eric sooner but I get to start college early and I get to travel to Africa. Dad can I afford to go pleeeeaaaaasssssse."

Bob, who can hear the steel under Donnas' voice, says "of course we can afford it if you really want to go."

"Of course I want to go, why wouldn't' I?"

Bob to Pastor Dave, "do you have any brochures etc,"

"Of course, "pulling a large wad of paper from his briefcase, "I've included the application and an estimate of the fees' living expenses and travel costs."

Bob takes the papers and looks at the costs and goes "whoee those are large numbers but we can afford them if that's what you really want?"

"I want Eric" says Donna longingly "and to go to college and to travel."

"Pumpkin, you know that's the first time I heard you say that in that order."

"Yeah somehow over the last few weeks my priorities have changed and Eric's now at the top of the list. You know Pastor Dan I will look over the literature complete the application form and get Daddy to fill out a check and get them to you this week."

Pastor Dave getting up to leave says "one last thing not a word to Eric, The Dean said it was best if he didn't know anything until it was time for you to go."

After the Pastors leave, Bob turns to Donna and says it's about time I told you where my money comes from and how it effects you."

"You know that gadget I invented that brings in the money well I've invented another fifty similar items of which thirty are in production and the rest should be licensed out shortly so we are well off, not filthy rich but fairly rich. I'm arranging for a substantial proportion of the income to be yours through an trust fund that will keep you and your family comfortable."

What else can Donna say but "thank you Daddy" and sits down to read the brochures.

She thinks to herself "maybe I can't tell Eric but I can show him what's he's missing especially with my red hair back. I'm going to get Jackie to help me take some photos to send to Eric."


	7. Chapter 7 Photies

**Photies**

Donna wakes up with her brain trying to escape her hangover by using a sledgehammer on the inside of her head. She gingerly opens one then the other to see Jackie snoring gentle next to her wearing only her underwear. more snoring causes Donna to turn over to see Brooke similarly snoring and attired only in her underwear.

Donna checks what she is wearing, Yep only underwear.

Sitting up very carefully she sees clothing scattered everywhere and five or six empty bottles of wine strewn across the floor.

"What the hell happened last night, it looks like a chapter meeting of 'The Secret Hot Girls Club'' but then she sees a Polaroid camera and a very large pile of photographs and her memory begins to remember what happened yesterday.

Early the previous morning Donna burst into Jackie's bedroom clutching a Polaroid camera. "I need you to take some photo's of me to send to Eric so he knows what he's missing."

"You kept me up late last night talking. Be sure to tell him about these urges to kick peoples bedroom doors in at 7am. We're supposed to meet Brooke for coffee this morning before helping her to find a flat for when she gets back from Chicago. Betsy ls staying with her grandmother so Brookes on her own as Kelso's pulling a double shift today."

"I forgot' never mind we can take photos while we help Brooke. I need to get plenty of film from the drug store anyway

"Oh! Donna dress like a girl today not a lumberjack. You want to look good for Eric."

Donna and Jackie walk into the hub to see Brooke already there.

"What happened Donna, you've gone red again and you're wearing a skirt, has the world ended."

"No, we're taking some photos of the new me to send to Eric."

Over coffee they discussed plans for the day including dinner at the Foreman's for which they needed to get some wine. Looking over the property section of the paper they discussed what sort of flat or house Brooke and Kelso were looking for.

"We are looking for a house with a garden' its better for Betsy and we could never fit Michael's goofiness into a flat the neighbors would move away. We should be able to afford it with both Michael' and my salaries. I've got my old job back at the library."

Jackie jumps up with the camera and shouts smile before taking some photos of Donna. "Just practicing."

At every house they look at through the day more photos of all the girls are taken together with some of the houses that Brooke's going to take Michael back to the next day.

"I've decided which house we want so we're not taking Michael anywhere near it until I get the papers signed. Its the one four doors down from the Foreman's and everyone there knows what Michael's like so they might object slightly."

"Wasn't that old man ... place, Steven and Michael trenched his lawn."

"So did Eric but he got caught. I expect a few revenge trenchings' to occur."

By now it was close to dinnertime and swinging by the liquor store for a few bottles of wine they headed to the Foreman's for dinner.

They were all sitting in the living room with Kitty, and over a glass of wine, they were looking through the photos spread across the coffee table.

Brooke grabs the pile of house pictures to show Michael as well as the ones of herself to look through.

Kitty, Jackie and Donna are looking through the rest to find the best ones to send to Eric. Kitty remarks that though the pictures are nice, they're too nice and tells Donna to shoot some more.

She gets up and goes upstairs and comes down with an old photo album. opening the album she says "these are some of the photos I sent to Red during the war but I've never shown to anyone else. "

Donna says." These show you in your underwear' swimsuit and wow what aren't you wearing under that fur coat."

"Not a thing, you've got to leave something to the imagination."

"After dinner Donna, Brook and I better retire to Donnas' bedroom, lock the door and search the room to make sure Fez is not there before closing the curtains and take some more photos of Donna showing some more skin."

At dinner more wine was drunk and by the time the girls got to Donna' bedroom they were quite giggly especially when opening a fresh bottle of wine.

"OK the rooms clear, no Fez, the doors locked and the curtains are closed, so Donna time to show some more skin for Eric."

After this point Donnas' memory of events was blank, but the photos on the desk show that a lot more skin was on show not only from her but from Jackie and Brooke as well.

Donna takes a few of each of her and the other girls more exposed photos and locks them away in a trunk, for future use if they get stroppy about something she wants them to do.

Separating out her photos from the rest she tries to wake the other girls who slowly, after verbally abusing Donna, wake up to see the results of their photo session.

Jackie, going bright red looking at her photos simply can't believe it "I'm virtually naked in this picture and look at that one, with that pose its worse than naked. These ones of the three of us, taken with the timer, are virtually obscene"

Brooke agrees. "We can never allow these to be seen by anyone else, especially Fez, he would be able to sell these for a fortune in his home country."

Donna lays out all of her photos on the desk so that they can choose the best ones to send to Eric.

After some argument they pick out twenty or so of Donna in varying states of dress and undress, add a few of the three girls together, some of Kitty Red and Hyde as well as shots of Brookes choice of house.

All of these were inserted into a book that Donna would send to Eric via Pastor Dave.

In Africa, Eric's day had started nine hours early with tai chi, warm up exercises and a five mile run which was still leaving him feeling sick with exhaustion but one thing had changed, he was now enjoying the physical exercise, both for the exercise which was beginning to give him muscles he never knew he had and for the time it consumed meaning he could avoid feeling lonely for that much longer.

This morning he had borrowed Brian's camera and lots of film to take photos of his life in Africa. Where he lived, where he slept, where he ate, where he was taught as well as where he taught, who his friends were and photos of the children in school and of the lake and the animals that came to drink there.

Brian took some shots of Eric running, doing tai chi and some of just him in gym shorts showing the new higher energy musclely Eric.

He took the film to the college dark room where it was developed and printed so that he could mail them off to everybody in Point Place to show them he was doing ok.


	8. Chapter 8 Letters Written

**Letters Written**

Donna was at the radio station doing her second shift as a newsreader and it was a very slow news night so there was little to do between bulletins.

She was going to have problems keeping her news about going to Africa in three months out of her letters so she decided to write a Point Place newsletter to Eric.

Darling Eric,

Here is the local news for Point Place.

Eric Foreman is still missing from Point Place after two months. If you're listening Eric please phone or write to tell everyone what you've been doing for the last week.

Last night Jackie and Hyde went out on a date and although Jackie had decided to take things to the next level by kissing Hyde it ended up with the bases loaded and Jackie only just managed to strike out Hyde on the last hit leaving both sides pretty frustrate with the result.

Meanwhile in Kelso land Brooke bought old man Shinky's place and plans to marry Kelso have moved beyond the planning stage with a date being set two months from now. (They're really sorry that you won't be there but they promise to send lots of photos and some wedding cake.)

In Candyland the de-facto dictator Fez someone or other has announced total domination of the supplies of candy to Point Place. He is quoted as saying. "The candy is all mine, mine I say." The children of Point Place are organizing protests outside his place of residence at the park playground.

At the Foreman's two new cooks trained by the master chef Kitty were on duty the other night producing a chicken casserole to the chefs' specifications. When asked to comment she said that it tasted pretty good. Jackie and Donna were proud to have kept everything up to chef Kitty's standards and hope to make further guest appearances at the Foreman's. (Eric, I should be able to make you a pretty good Chicken Pinciotti now.)

The late night noise pollution coming from Jackie's bedroom has been minimized without having to resort to outside intervention.

Late breaking news. In a statement from Donna Pinciotti she has admitted to loving Eric Foreman and misses him terribly after0he left for his tour of Africa around the town of Magadi in Kenya.

And that is all the news from Point Place for this evening this has been your presenter Hot Donna.

Donna starts a new page.

Hi Eric,

I thought telling you what's happen during the week in the form of a news bulletin would be fun.

Can you believe Jackie, she swore that all she was going to let Hyde do was to kiss her and all of a sudden the bases were fully loaded and the rocket was in the launch pad ready to slide home. The only thing that stopped them was I arriving home from the radio station.

You know that you hold my beating heart in your hands and that I love you with all of me

Believe when I say that the twins are really missing your tongue your kisses and those long educated fingers. The rest of me misses you as much.

I was going through my diaries and its amazing the number of times we have made love since that first time and you were right it just keeps getting better all the time.

I can't call you the Flash anymore now that our lovemaking lasts all night. You must have slept all the way to London with the lack of sleep that night before you left.

Oh! Yes I can, because seeing or thinking of you speeds my heart up.

I hope you like the pictures I sent you; I'm blushing just thinking of how much of me they show.

I love the new muscles that you're showing in your photos and can't wait to try them out.

You're living in a beautiful part of Africa next to that lake with the church in the background. I would love to come over there and you can show me around the sights and meet all your new friends.

All my love

Donna XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Donna thinks this is going to be really difficult to keep my secret from Eric.)

Dearest Donna,

I got that 'book' you sent me with the photos inside. I was going to show Brian them until I noticed that some of them showed a lot more of you than you would appreciate others seeing. Wow you look great back as a redhead, that's the Donna I've loved for fifteen years.

I'm still lonesome for you all the time even though I try to keep busy all the time. I keep running into situations where at home I would just walk the 23 steps round to your house and talk things over with you.

Here I have to wait all week to talk to you over the phone. Its not the sex, even though I really miss that, its being able to sit down with you on the sofa so that we are in contact from our shoulders to our ankles, its not being able to put my arms around you and feel your arms around me that I really miss. I'm really missing that right now so I'd better change the subject.

You'll find some photos included of the safari trip we took last week. It was good to get out and see the animals. The elephants were great but the guide was saying to avoid buying anything carved in ivory, as it was likely that the ivory was poached from an elephant shot illegally in the reserve.

We saw the lions take down a gazelle for lunch. Funnily enough we had barbequed gazelle for lunch before heading for the tribal village for an overnight visit.

We watched a betrothal dance where two of the girls I'm teaching were dancing for their fiancées. It was very colorful and Brian who was acting as the photographer gave me some prints, which I've enclosed.

I would really like to come back here with you someday so that you can see first hand how beautiful it is around here, maybe a honeymoon when we can afford it.

This was just a short letter to send you the photos from the safari. By the way how do you like my new hand made safari suit.

Love and lots of kisses

Eric XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

p.s. I've enclosed a letter for Red. He said in his last letter not to waste a stamp but to put it in with someone else's letter to passing over to him. He doesn't even mind if its read either!!!!

Dear Red,

Your pocketknife is still save and sharp. It's mainly used for peeling and cutting fruit.

They've been teaching us to drive the four wheel drive land rovers that they use as cars here and they're fun drive except when you get stuck then they get a bulldozer to pull it out.

They play a different kind of football here where they really use their feet to kick the ball around; I think we call it soccer. I'm not really good at it' there' a surprise.

However they've just finished building a pair of squash courts where you use small rackets to hit a very small rubber ball off up to three walls back to your opponent. I can actually hit the ball quite well but I'm still learning the rules but hey I can really hit the ball real hard.

Anyway the lessons are hard but I'm making my A's so the time here is useful and I really enjoy teaching. They don't get many math and physics teachers here and it' a challenge to pitch the lessons to make the lesson challenging and interesting for all the kids.

How is everyone getting on in Point Place?

You said in your last letter that you were worried about Hyde and Jackie in that they were being too polite to each other so I asked Hyde last time we talked on the phone what's up and he says that they are actually talking and that he still loves her but after their history he doesn't want any more misunderstandings to ruin things.

Thanks for looking after everybody while I'm away.

Your loving dumbass son

Eric


	9. Chapter 9 Waiting

**Waiting**

Donna was already impatient. It had taken her a month to get everything together that the application form had said was necessary and she had finally delivered it together with Bob's check the day before. It would take two weeks for the application to be approved and Donna impatient levels were already dangerously high.

Jackie's head had been bitten off over some innocuous comments about Eric already this morning so she asked what was the matter.

"I'm sorry Jackie for over-reacting but I can't tell anyone what's going on. Secrets are not secrets in our group once told. It only takes a few hours for everyone else to find out so I can't tell anyone not even you and its frustrating not to be able to talk about it." So how are you and Hyde getting along now your dating again?"

"I think we trust each other a lot better than before now that we are actually talking to each other about everything including what our feelings for each other are. I mean I know I love him but the question really was can I trust him to talk to me before he makes an assumption and does something stupid."

"Have you kissed him or let him get to any of the bases yet."

"We kissed but nothing more yet because it would be an automatic home run and until we are completely sure about each other...I mean Steven is being a perfect gentleman in both being my boss and as a date."

Eric, meantime is getting on with life in Africa. He' enjoying his teaching immensely and has been able to reconcile himself to not seeing Donna, or the gang, or his family for another nine months but when he's alone at night he' really alone. He's become two different people. One able to deal with his time in Africa and one who inhabits his room all alone. Consequently he stays out of his room as much as possible.

He's now bulked out so much that his clothes are starting to be too small and he's having to pay a visit to Nairobi to visit a tailor that the Dean recommended both on grounds of cost and quality. He's getting a couple of safari suits' some trousers and a few shirts. It's eating into his cash reserves and he's worried that he won't be able to afford Donnas' ring unless he can get the price down more.

Ahmed has dropped his price to 950 dollars so far with Eric at 700 dollars. Eric thinks he can afford 800 dollars but no more.

The safari suits should come in useful as all the students were going on safari next week to see the wild animals in the nature reserve and to stay overnight at one of the villages where some of the school pupils came from.

Kitty has been teaching both Donna and Jackie to cook and thinks that they should be able to cook tonight's dinner by themselves without having a disaster like last time when there was smoke coming from the oven.

They were doing a chicken casserole and things seem to be going well.

Donna says "you know six moths ago I would have been all feminist and said that I don't need to know how to cook but now that I know that Eric and I are going to be together I want to be able to cook for Eric without poisoning him. Besides Kitty told me she knew how badly I cooked and as she's always known that Eric and I would be together she had figured that one of us had better be able to cook so she taught Eric most of what she knows."

"If Eric can cook why are you bothering?"

"Its the feminist in me, if Eric can cook then so must I. So why are you learning Jackie?"

"I would never survive if I had to eat my own cooking so with you learning from the best I figured it was time to learn. Especially as I'm going to have to find my own place when you leave for Africa in three months."

"What! How did you know that, only Bob and the Pastors Dave and Dan know that."

"You should know by now that you have no secrets from me Donna. Remember your first time with Eric." Donna nods dreamily. "Actually, I read your diary that you keep locked up in your desk."

"Actually its good that I've got someone to talk to about it, but Jackie stay away from my diary."

"How are you girls getting on with dinner?" says Kitty walking into the kitchen to refill her glass of wine. "You girls are cooking solo tonight so be careful and get it right, we don't want another chicken Pinciotti.

"To many ears in this house, we'll talk later when everyone else is asleep."

"Donna how is it that we always talk late at night until I fall asleep."

"Its because if you don't fall asleep then you need to play Abba loudly which keeps everyone else awake."

"Dinner is served." Kitty went on to say to Red and Hyde that the girls had cooked everything by themselves with no help from her.

Red and Hyde gingerly tasted the casserole before Hyde falls over sideways clutching his throat making vomiting noises.

Red says. "Get up Steven its quite good."

"I know but the reaction was automatic after what that chicken Pinciotti did to Eric's insides. Sorry Donna, sorry Jackie." He said picking himself off the floor and sitting back down to begin to eat.

Kitty says. " Relax, this is done right, the next solo is in inventing your own recipe for something and after that you graduated."

Later that night in Jackie's bedroom Jackie was talking.

"I think there's something more as to why they don't want Eric to know that you're coming to Africa."

"Pastor Dan didn't say anything, but then I was so happy that I was going to see Eric in five instead of twelve months. How about you and Hyde?"

"We dating but we haven't kissed beyond cheeks, though I think on our date on Friday I'm going to let him kiss me on the mouth and we'll see where it goes from there."

"You have talked through that night in Chicago?"

"Yes, and both of us agree that its behind us so that we trust each other enough to go in from here, so we'll see. About, Africa aren't you worried about its problems."

"Not anymore, I mean I was worried for Eric until his letters arrived and with his phone telling me that he loved me."

"Listen Donna, Eric has never stopped loving you. He's been in love with you for fifteen years though for eleven of those it was puppy love. Steven and I are in love but its nothing like the love you two have. Yes you've had your problems but each time your love binds you closer than ever. You've struggled with it because you found the love of your life at such a young age and most couples your age would have broken up over lesser problems."

"Yes it's been a struggle but I think being apart has made us realize that there's only us for us so now we can be together for the rest of our lives."

"So when do you think you're going to get married?"

"Eric hasn't asked me yet this time around though technically we never broke off the last engagement so if he doesn't ask me I'm holding him to his existing promise to marry me. He's made me wait long enough."


	10. Chapter 10 Packing

**Packing**

Donna was up very late writing out packing lists for what she needs to take to Africa with her in three weeks time. She was having problems keeping within the 30kg weight allowance and was struggling with the conversion into pounds when she heard the front door close and footsteps climbing the stairs.

She opened the door to see a disheveled Jackie approaching with her clothing slightly array.

"What the hell Jackie." she said softly to avoid awakening Bob. "Come in and tell me what happened."

"Steven and I are back together officially and we celebrated by making love in the basement just like old times. No not like old times, we actually talked between lovemaking sessions."

"So when are you going to get married?" Said Donna getting right to the point of the couples problems.

"Not until Stevens moved out of the Foreman's, so we are going house hunting for a flat."

"Red finally gets his wish. All the kids will have left home when Hyde moves out."

"Listen, when I get to Africa I have to jog every morning for up to five miles and I'm going to get the whole gang to join in. Hyde's in as well as Brooke and Kelso. He should be the fittest after the police academy but he never lost the taste for the compulsory police donut. So tomorrow morning we meet in the Foreman's kitchen when Brooke drops Betsy off while they run. I bought these new sports bras and I really hope that they contain my natural bounce "

"Yes Donna, lets hope so or Kelso will be running backwards watching the bounce. By the way isn't Fez joining us?"

"Not this week he has to work early this week."

"How's the packing going and aren't you starting kind of early?"

"I got this list of stuff I need to take with me from Pastor Dave and although I've just got the sports stuff I need. I'm struggling with the weight I'm allowed. There's still lots of things to buy so I thought that I would do a packing list and that would tell me what else I need. It looks like I need a load of new clothes so it's lucky that Bob's given me a wad of cash to go shopping with."

"Right, Donna I'm going with you to make sure you don't buy more lumberjack clothes. This time your going to look more feminine. I'll take time off from Grooves, Steven won't mind."

"Fine, but bear in mind this is Africa I'm heading for, not New York."

"The next morning in the Foreman's kitchen everyone was gathered for the morning jog in a variety of clothes with Jackie complaining that her sports bra from high school didn't fit anymore.

"I don't know why you're complaining I've had a child and everything's bigger." says Brooke. By the way, why are we doing this?"

"OK but its top secret and no one can tell Eric. Its because I'm leaving for Africa in three weeks time to join Eric at his Training College, Its supposed to be a surprise.

There was complete silence for a second then the collective thud of six jaws hitting the floor before everyone tried to talk at once.

Donna shouts over everybody. "I'll tell you all about it later but no one, no one tells Eric on pain of me killing them slowly over a hot fire OK?"

"That's why you've been so calm lately, not so much of the waterworks, "says Red shouting over everyone else. "OK listen up everybody, nobody tells Eric over the phone when he calls or in a letter as we don't want to ruin Eric's surprise or Donna won't have to kill you because I will have already done it. So silence already."

"Thanks Red. Right it's time to get on with the jog. This week we're doing one mile then increasing it every week so lets get outside and warm up. Kelso you lead"

"OK start with your stretching exercises and if anyone bounces I'll be watching them very closely."

A few minutes later they were heading out past Kelso's new house and into agony as the mile went by. Kelso and Donna were the least affected though even they were feeling the pain. "Well this new bra does it work properly"

"Yeah" says Kelso disappointedly.

Next in was Brooke then Jackie and finally Hyde came crawling back.

"Next time we do this, remind me to take the El Camino."

" I think even when Donna leaves we should keep doing this, it will do us all good and we can't have Eric able to beat us at running."

Later that day in Donnas' Kitchen Donna, Jackie and Bob were sitting talking. Jackie was saying "that when Donna leaves she would be moving in with Steven and that he was looking somewhere for them to live."

"You know it's going to be lonely with everybody gone, you know I'm probably going to sell this house and buy something more suitable for a bachelor."

"It's going to be sad if you sell this place especially if you move away from Point Place. I know that Eric and I are moving to college when we get back but we wouldn't want to be too far from you, Red and Kitty."

"If your serious about selling the house maybe Steven and I could buy it, I'd better go talk to Steven about it" and gets up to run out the door to see Steven.

"Donna, I've made financial arrangement for you so that you and Eric won't be poor during or after college. I've also arranged with our bank for the Bank of Kenya to open a bank account for you at the hospital bank in Africa for you with $25,000 dollars in it. I'll give you the bank documents before you fly.

"Pumpkin I know that I've always been on Eric's back about how he's treated you on occasion but I know that he's always loved you and always thought he had your best interests in his heart in what he did but I could never stand to see you cry because I love you. But somehow you've managed to stay together and I've always known that Eric would be the only one for you. Just make sure he treats you right."

"Thanks Daddy, I'll always treasure those words. Now you given me a problem, If you sell this place where can I put all the stuff I'm not taking with me."

"Don't worry about it Red and Kitty will help me pack it up after you go and I'll buy somewhere big enough to store it all including Eric's stuff."

In the shopping mall coffee shop a few days later Brooke, Donna and Jackie were taking a break from shopping for Donnas' African wardrobe.

"Donna so far we just bought light versions of your standard lumberjack clothing. You need something that makes you look like a girl otherwise how's Eric going to know that you're a girl."

"Jackie, believe me he knows I'm a girl and he likes my style of dressing."

"You got dresses I know but no skirts at all unless you count the skirt from that Catholic high school you went to in your senior year."

" Oh yeah that Eric liked that, come to think of it everyone of the boys liked that too. OK maybe a couple of skirts to wear in college then I need some sleepwear, but before you get any ideas the girls dorm is part of the convent."

"You in a convent, Oh I can see that's going to be fun, I can just see Eric trying to climb over the electrified barbed wire every night. You know Brooke; these two were at it all the time so how the nuns are going to keep them apart is going to be interesting to see.

Brooke seeing a side of Donna she hadn't really heard about before asks. "Is that true that you and Eric can't keep your hands off each other?"

"I've read her diaries, they read like a sex novel, even after the wedding that never was they were going at it like rabbits. By the way Donna, you had better start taking the pill again."

"Jackie I'm sitting right next to you and I've told you before about reading my diary. Yes, Brooke I really enjoy making love with Eric. He knows how to make my body sing and Jackie I started taking the pill again about a fortnight ago. Now lets get back to my new wardrobe."

That evening they were all in Brookes house with all the shopping spread over everything with Donna retrying everything and then taking the labels off and packing it in her new suitcase over a glass of wine or five.

Brooke said. "We have to have a going away party."

"Mrs. Foreman is inviting everyone to a dinner the night before the flight so it will have to be before that. I can see I'm not going to remember much of my last week before leaving and don't plan anything elaborate.

It's 8pm and the bags are packed, Donnas' dressed for a party as is Jackie sitting on the bed beside her.

" You know this really is the end of an era with you leaving to join Eric, Kelso marrying Brooke and me moving in with Steven in your old house of all places. We need to find Fez a partner and it's a clean sweep."

"Its going to be strange not having the house to go back to with Bob moving into a condo in the middle of town."

"Steven's clearing out your old basement and turning it into a replica of the Foreman's basement, he's moving all the furniture from over there so its going to look exactly the same. The only thing that's not happening is Steven sleeping in the basement unless I kick him out."

"We meeting the guys and gals at the Foreman's and even Red's coming along.

"I think that's because we're going to that new bar that Casey opened and you know Kitty and Casey get along famously well."

The next morning Donna awakes about 8am not really remembering last night but knowing that she's got to be at the radio station for her last appearance as Hot Donna.

"Argh my aching head" as she sits up to see she's still dressed from last night but seems to have acquired a few lodgers in that Kitty, Jackie and Brooke were all also asleep in her bedroom. "What the hell did we have to drink last night that no one except me made it home and remembers several jugs of margaritas were a feature of the party and somehow her glass never seemed to be empty. She remembered Fez dancing with all the girls and thinking he's still quite a dancer but that Kitty seemed to have dance moves that made her the star of the dance floor.

Donna gets dressed and hurries to the radio station leaving the rest to sort themselves out.

"This is Hot Donna on WFPP. Its my last mornings broadcast before I head for Africa and I'm leading off with something a little unusual by David Fanshawe from his African Sanctus Album tilted Love Song from East Sudan in honor of the fact that I'll be meeting up with my boyfriend when I get there". For the rest of the show She studiously ignored the radios playlists playing what she enjoyed and what her listeners enjoyed and showed their appreciation of by phoning in to say good luck with Eric and goodbye and to say how much they've enjoyed today's music.

After a tearful sign off and saying goodbye to all at WFPP Donna headed for home.

Meanwhile Jackie was in Donnas' bedroom packing a small blue suitcase that she had been requested to pack and deliver to Pastor Dave without Donna finding out. " Boy the church is leaving nothing to chance."

"Donna and Jackie knocked on the front door of the Foreman's' house and Donna said. "I'm worried Kitty has this penchant for surprise parties and though the dinner is no surprise I wonder what she has up her sleeves. I really hope its not dads oompah band.

Red shouts. "It' safe to come in there aren't any surprises in here."

Everyone else was already there with drinks in hand and Red handed them margaritas as they took their seats.

Donna had to sit in Red's chair as Jackie had swiftly taken the only other free seat.

"By the way Donna when I said there were no surprises I lied."

Kitty said. "Presenting all the way from California your mother, Midge."

"Midge came through the kitchen door to hug her daughter. "I couldn't let you go to Africa without saying goodbye. Was I right when I said if you love him you have to forgive him."

"Yes Midge and now I have to go to Africa because I love him."

"You know I was always for you and Eric while everybody else thought you were to young but I lost the right to say it when I left."

She steps back and joins Bob, Kitty and Red and Red says. "You know we always considered you like a daughter. We want you and Eric to marry because we've come to realize that you love each other more than life itself so go get him kid."

"I remember talking to you when you were six years old and you said to me that you wanted to marry Eric when you grew up. Well as your mother your all grown up now so its time to go marry him."

"Wow" says Jackie you've just been given a hunting license for Eric by yours and his parents, so how are you going to get your man?"

" I don't need to get him he's all mine already. We just need to be the same page but it good that our parents are on the same page now." and goes over to hug Midge again.

"Dinner everybody," and everyone heads for one of Kitty's trademark feasts.

At the end of dinner there are a few toasts and Donnas' presented with a photo album of shots from Midge, Bob, the gang, and Kitty and Red to take with her.

She goes back home with Midge and Bob and catches up on Midge's life in California.

In the morning everyone gathers around Donna in the driveway to say goodbye when Bob shouts "hit it boys and the oompah band comes out of hiding.

"Well Eric got them so how could I not do the same for you" as he starts the car and drives Donna to the airport.


	11. Chapter 11 Into Africa Part 2

**AN: **"Shen Yen Qui Lui" A happy New Year in Chinese with the present of a new chapter.**  
**

**Into Africa Part 2**

On the concourse at Chicago O'Hare International a tall blonde and a shortish man with a perm were hugging a tall redhead as the tannoy announced the final boarding for Pan Am flight PA6355 for New York.

Eric was called to the Dean's office.

"Eric, we got a new student coming through from Chicago O'Hare airport on this evenings Pan Am flight from New York. As you're from the Chicago area I'd like you to meet the student.

Unfortunately we have no details as to whom it is who's coming and as the flight arrives quite late I've booked a couple of rooms at the airport hotel.

"Your not teaching today or tomorrow so there should be no problems. Paul will drive for you."

"How will I recognize the student."

"We have a board in the back of the land rover with the name of the college, hold that up whenever someone comes out of the arrivals hall with one of our trunks."

Donna connected in New York with PA 2333 to Nairobi via Cairo. There was enough room on board for her to be able to stretch out and sleep between meals. She had sixteen hours on the plane to endure plus the two hours at Cairo Airport for refueling before arriving at Nairobi. She was to be met by someone from the school and had been told that they had booked her a room at the airport hotel as the flight arrived to late to drive to the school where Eric was waiting unknowing that she was coming to him.

At Cairo Airport she bought some papyrus prints from the gift shop and some perfume in the duty free area.

About an hour before arriving at Nairobi Donna was woken up from a deep sleep by the lights being switched on. This allowed her time to freshen up and put on some of her new perfume.

As she sat down again she started to feel Eric in her head like she had for fourteen and a half yeas before Eric disappeared into Africa. But Eric was one hundred and fifty miles away to the south of Nairobi. So she put the feeling down to wishful thinking.

Erik was in the land rover on the last few miles before Nairobi and was just hitting the first of the urban sprawl with the shantytowns built out of anything handy with street sellers selling everything from flowers to barbequed meats.

Paul headed for the local offices of the World Educational Council to find out more about the new student. He came out of the office saying that there were still no details of who the student was. He was pinning an ID to his shirt so that he could enter the customs area to help the student with the baggage.

As Donna landed the feeling of Eric in her head was getting stronger. In Arrivals Eric was having the same feelings of Donna being close but that couldn't be she was half a world away in Point Place.

When Donna had cleared Passport Control Paul who had already organized her luggage on a trolley met her. "If you would follow me Miss Pinciotti I take you through customs and on to the Airport Hotel.

Eric was waiting in Arrivals with the feeling of Donna in his head getting stronger by the second when around the screen appeared a tall redhead who looked remarkable like, no, she was Donna. He shouted Donna and started running towards her through the crowd. Donna saw him through the crowd and started running towards him. Eric stopped and drew Donna into a hug lifting her off her feet easily, but could only manage "what how?"

"Eric shut up and kiss me we'll talk later." and kisses him Her hand creeps up to caress his head.

They surfaced a few minutes later to see Paul smiling at them. "I was going to introduce you two but I see you have introduced yourselves.

Paul drove them over to the Airport Hotel and said that he would pick them up at 7am.

Eric, who had already checked in earlier, in helped Donna check in and got her bags taken to her room while he took her to the coffee shop for something to eat while they talked.

"Eric, I was going out of my mind with loneliness without you and when Pastors Dave and Dan came over after church about three months ago and told me and Bob about the new program that was starting here with six months credits that added to the six months I already have from the Point Place College means that we can start UW together. But Pastor Dave said it had to be kept a secret from you, I never found out why. I sweet-talked Bob into funding my application and here I am.

"The Dean has some explaining to do but it really doesn't' matter, your here with me."

They continued to talk through the rest of dinner with Eric catching up with the latest news of everybody in Point Place. As they finished dinner and got up they were both blushing and holding hands.

Eric stopped outside Donnas' room and opened the door for her. As she went through the door she pulled Eric inside with her into a bear hug of a kiss and slammed the door shut behind them.

Several hours later Donna was sitting naked in Eric's naked lap. The heat was rippling off the walls and both of them were sweating

They were thoroughly tangled together with Donnas' leg wrapped around him and her arms supporting Eric, with one hand wrapped in his hair so that they could continue kissing while Eric, hands stroked her breasts and teased her nipples. Eric was fully enveloped within Donna whose inner muscles were gripping him tightly and rippling to drive both of them towards orgasm. Eric was now starting to stroke her breasts harder in time with the rhythm of her inner muscles. Donnas' hips were now starting to rock and both of them started to come at the same time. Eric exploded inside Donna shouting "Yes Donna I love you." Donna was moaning in ecstasy while internally her muscles were spasming-milking Eric dry.

They slowly rearranged themselves so that Eric was spooning Donna and had his arms around her in a very familiar and comforting way and finally decided that this is what she really wanted for the rest of her life, the rest was just a bonus and so...

"Eric, I love you and I don't want to wait for you anymore. Will you marry me?"

He turns her around so that he could see her eyes and then...whispers in her ear." Donna, I love you totally. Yes I will marry you." Then kisses her.

They went into a deeply satisfied sleep.

In the morning a familiar feeling of Eric's erection poking into her back woke Donna. She thought. "We made love five times last night and he can still get it up. I'm so glad we're getting married."

"Those new muscles are improving everything." She shifts her body slightly and reaching down slides Eric into her and begins to rock her hips. Eric slowly waking up begins to thrust into her while his hands move and start to caress her breasts and strokes her clitoris making her come quickly, continuously and noisily until he also comes noisily.

"We were making so much noise last night everybody must know what we were doing last night Donna"

"Donna blushed and said its time we got up. While you were in the bathroom last night I ordered enough breakfast for the two of us from room service for 6am.

"That's why I love you Donna." I' better get to my room and get packed and dressed and get back here.

A smiling waiter who winked at Eric and left after setting everything up delivered breakfast.

The porter, who came to collect Donna' bags smiled and winked at Eric. The desk clerks all smiled and winked at Eric.

Donna was blushing a deep red and said. " It seems everybody heard us last night."

Paul arrived to pick them up and while chatting with the porter started smiling and looking at Eric winked and said. "The staff are very impressed with your stamina, six times in one night but I can see why with such a beautiful girl to drive you on."

Both of them were blushing a deep red now.

Donna whispered to Eric. " We are not usually so noisy but then back home we had to be careful our parents didn't hear us."

"Your right, but from now on I want to hear you cry out like that all the time."

I'm not likely to get the opportunity while I'm living in the convent.

The land rover reaches the outskirts of Nairobi and Eric is soon engrossed in showing Donna all the sights and wonders along the four-hour journey to the college.

For both of them the journey seemed too short and it ended with the land rover drawing up outside the Deans office.

They headed up to the Deans office for Donnas' interview.

Unusually Eric was asked to stay and he noticed that there were two chairs before the Deans desk.

The interview was much as Eric's was, then. "Eric, we kept Donnas' arrival a secret from you. Why?"

Eric was puzzled at the question until he remember the research the Dean asked him to do and answered." The WEC trains the teachers and you want students to return to the WEC after graduating to help with that."

"That's it more or less. We identified your abilities in Physics and Math as well as your love of teaching and decided that you were a suitable candidate for the program but there was one problem. Your love of Donna, we realized that you would never come to us without Donna so it was decided to recruit Donna as well."

Don't blush but I heard about the noises from your room at the hotel and know that you love each other enough to want to marry. Did you know that we welcome married couples and have accommodation for them and did you know that I am fully empowered to marry those who wish to marry."

"Donna asked me to marry her last night and I said yes but we didn't really discuss when we should get married.

"Eric, I've being ready to marry you since you left for Africa when I realized how big a space in my heart you occupied. I don't want to wait till we go home.

"I Love you Donna and I' being waiting most of my life waiting for you so, yes Dean we want to get married.

The Dean say's. "Good, I've got a space in my calendar for three weeks from now but you need to say yes to that date now as I need to get the Banns published immediately. The Abbess will tell about how we do things at weddings here, but you will need to take a vow of celibacy until your married."

Donna and Eric look at each other and both say "yes"

"Good and congratulations." He signs a paper on his desk and rings for his secretary to take it away. "Make sure you look at the cathedral notice board when your giving Donna the tour."

Eric takes Donna to the canteen for some lunch where she is introduced to most of the other students.

After lunch Donna was taken on a tour of the facilities ending in front of the cathedral notice board where the following notice was printed.

'I publish the banns of marriage between Eric Foreman of Point Place, Wisconsin USA and Donna Pinciotti of Point Place, Wisconsin USA. If any of you know of any cause or just impediment ehy these two persons should not be joined in holy matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first time of asking.

Signed

The Dean

Bishop of Magadi'

"Wow that was fast. At least Kelso and the others won't be sending in any objections."

Donna, it's strange to see our names in print. I'm positive that this is what I want. Are you sure this is what you really want? We only got engaged last night and we haven't been able to talk about it yet."

"Eric it just feels right so yes I'm positive about marrying you in three weeks, but how are we going to tell everyone at home."

"That's simple, on the phone tomorrow night. Red will call me a dumbass and Bob'll cry again."

"Your right about Bob crying but Bob, Midge, Red and Kitty gave me permission to marry you the night before I left. Though I think they had in mind us marrying with our families around us when we get home"

They continued walking until they reached the convent where Eric left Donna to the tender mercies of the nuns and their house rules saying that he would see her for dinner.

Donna was shown to her room after an interview with the Abbess who had smiled and congratulated Donna on her Impending marriage and then gave Donna a rum down of the rules of living within the convent walls which were not that restrictive except that there was no boys allowed inside the convent at all and a 10pm curfew for the girls.

The first thing that she saw was her bags had been delivered along with an additional small blue bag that she recognized as hers' but as far as she was aware was still in Point Place.

She saw a note attached in Jackie's familiar handwriting, which read:

Donna,

I packed the bag with some items that you probably thought that you wouldn't need in Africa and got Pastor Dave to deliver it.

Congratulations Donna

Love

Jackie

When she opened the bag she found her mothers wedding dress, the underwear she had bought to go with it and the sleepwear for her wedding night. I must remember to thank that midget girl for this.

At dinner Donna told Eric about the wedding dress and he said, "you know I may have to stop calling her the devil."

They talked about their future both at college and beyond for nearly three hours before Donnas' curfew at the Convent had them running and kissing all the way there.

"Remember that in the morning you have go jogging. I'll see you there."


	12. Chapter 12 A Short Engagement

**A Short Engagement**

At 6am Donna woke up with a start wondering where the hell she was and then remembered where she was and smiled as she remembered all of yesterdays events. It started with her making love with Eric for the third time then proposing to Eric, his acceptance, her first day at college and setting a date for their marriage in three weeks, THREE WEEKS !!!!!!!!

This morning she was going on a run for at least two miles with Eric.

This was a very different Eric from the one who had left for Africa. Not only was he fitter and more musically but he was more self-assured and less diffident. He's still my Eric only a much improve model.

She joined the other girl students on their way to the sports area for the morning jog.

One of the other girls was saying to her. "We heard about the noises coming from your hotel room last night. Your lucky, Eric's a really nice boy, he' smart, he works very hard, he really likes teaching and the Dean likes him. Eric has been very lonely here, he' never asked any of the girls out and there was some speculation as to whether he was gay but after he showed your picture to Brian everybody understood that he was being faithful to you. I must admit Brian's description of you as beautiful, tall and built like a brick outhouse was pretty close to the mark. Its a good job your getting married in three weeks."

Donna was blushing. "Why thank you, but how did you find out?

"This place is a hot bed of gossip, but probably your driver found out from the hotel staff and told the canteen staff from where it spreads. As to your marriage some of the girls go to vespers where the banns were read out last night."

"How good is Eric at running."

"He' really good especially after he started with the tai chi and kung fu. He has the perfect build for distance running."

"You know it's funny, at home he's never been any good at any type of sports."

By now she could see Eric beginning his tai chi and warm up routines and Donna joined him and began her own tai chi in unison with Eric.

By the two mile mark Donna was beginning to flag and decided enough was enough and waved Eric on. He speeded up considerably to finish his five miles quickly and go to breakfast with Donna.

" You've been practicing haven't you Donna. But you got beaten fair and square."

"For the last three weeks I had the whole gang out jogging and we were up to three miles but the sheer pace of you guys was incredible."

"I hope someone got photos of that first run. Who was last? I bet it was Hyde with all that smoking."

"Yeah but Jackie has made him quit and he's making the mileage. you know there's some things we need to organize for the wedding."

"The Dean had said that the floral decoration for the cathedral is their treat, but you need to tell the Abbess what are your favorite flowers."

"We're marrying in a cathedral?"

"Yes that was Bishop Dean we were talking to and he's arranging for the nuns to take us through the ceremony as it's in Latin and we need some coaching and she's empowered to administer the vow of chastity two weeks before the wedding."

"Chastity, there's nowhere where we can be 'really' alone together anyway Jackie's taken care of my wedding dress by packing Midge's in a bag and sending it in the trunk from Pastor Dave We really have to thank that girl. Now we need a tuxedo for you and some wedding rings."

"I will phone the tailor I used for these clothes and get him to organize a wedding tux. As for the rings the shopping bus is tomorrow and I know just the shop."

"Don't get all proud but Bob gave me a wad of traveler's checks and set up a bank account here with 25,000 dollars in it to cover my expenses etc. We'll use that for everything we need"

" Wow I'm marrying a rich girl"

"You don't know how true that is. Bob is arranging his finances to ensure that we don't need to worry about money. Apparently all those little inventions of Bobs have made him fairly rich.

For the rest of the day Donna was medically examined, given her anti malaria pills, sat a new SAT and was introduced to the staff, students and pupils at the facility. She met Eric for lunch and dinner after which they headed for the telephone booths in the hall to phone home.

Sitting together in a phone booth made for one was an enjoyably tight squeeze especially as they were cheek to cheek with the phone shared between them as the phone rang?

In Point Place, the gang were in the kitchen, Midge and Bob in the living room and Kitty and Red shared the phone in Red's nook.

The phone rings and Kitty picks up the phone. "Hi Sweeties."

"Hi Kitty, Hi Red, Hi Midge, Hi Bob, Hi Gang." Says both of them.

"I've had an incredible 24 hours here in Africa. Eric was stunned when I walked out of Arrivals and there we were in serious liplock for what felt like hours before Paul the driver broke up the moment to drive us to the airport hotel for the night. I'll talk to you later Jackie. I proposed marriage and Eric accepted. Anything else happen that night."

"Nothing we can say with all our parents listening."

"Anyway the drive to the school was incredible, the first view of the Rift Valley is out of this world. Anyway I've managed to work out how to work that camera you gave me Kitty and don't worry I've managed to take a few of Eric and that new body of his. Red he's finally found a sport that he excels at. He runs 5 miles in less time than it took us to run three in Point Place. I really enjoy those muscles and the new stamina he's got.

There's an "ew" from everybody and Bob says "that's detail we didn't want to know about"

"Speak for yourself Bob. How was it Donna." says Midge.

Jackie says. "I need to talk to you alone later"

"Where were we Eric? Oh yes we're getting married in a cathedral in two weeks and six days from now at sunset."

In Point Place there was a collective thud of jaws hitting the ground again that could be heard in Kenya.

"What! I think I speak for everyone here in congratulations on your engagement but Red and I wanted to see you to married and not after a three week engagement."

Eric says. "It came as a surprise to us too but it just feels the right thing to do and besides we never actually broke off the last engagement officially and I thought you would want us to actually get married this time."

"Well yes if you're fully committed to each other."

"Commitment never been our problem, maturity was." Eric said.

"The time apart from Eric in Africa has made us realize that we have lifetime commitment to each other." and Donna kisses Eric.

Kitty seemed satisfied with that answer so she let everyone else talk to the couple.

Later Jackie managed to get Eric and Donna alone. "How did you like my surprise package."

"We have to find a way to thank you properly but how did you know?"

"Well I could claim to know better than yourselves but I got a call from Pastor Dave who said that most couples who go to the college get married while they were there and would I get your wedding dress so he could send it just in case. I packed everything I thought you would need including an extra large makeup case to make you beautiful. Now tell me everything."

"Donna dragged me into her room and made loud passionate love to me all night."

"Yeh we were so loud the entire hotel heard us and even the students here have heard that we made love six times."

"Wow Eric must be a lot fitter now."

"I'm just getting used to just how improved he is and not just in bed."

Everyone says goodbye and Eric And Donna put the phone down.

"Does sitting in that booth together break our chastity vow, we were closer together than during our lovemaking." Says Donna.

Eric agrees "we need to make lots of phone calls during the next three weeks."

The next morning Donna gets dressed to go shopping with Eric. After breakfast she heads for the bank in the hospital to enable her bank account and cash in enough travelers checks to buy their wedding rings.

On the bus all the students are talking about the shopping trip while Eric and Donna talked to Brian whose Fiancée was arriving in a couple of days and he was going to finalize his bargaining for their rings.

The three of them wandered through the market place. Donna was entranced with the colors and smells that emanated from the spice and nut sellers and cloth shops with their colorful rolls of cloth. Eventually they ended up in Mahmoud's gold shop.

Donnas' eyes were like doorstops at the sheer volume of gold and jewelry on display. She was introduced to Mahmoud who said. "I'm pleased to meet the fiancée who drove Eric to such heights of passion the other night in your hotel."

"Does everyone in Kenya know?" said a blushing Donna.

"Probably especially since you drove Eric to prove his manhood six times."

Now Eric was blushing and to change the subject asked Mahmoud to show Donna the engagement ring and to bring out a selection of wedding rings.

While an assistant served sweet tea in small glasses Mahmoud got Eric and Brian's rings out of the safe and brought a selection of wedding rings across as well.

Eric opened the box to show Donna the ring.

"Oh Eric its beautiful, let me try it on. Its so much bigger than the last ring."

Mahmoud ever the professional was already bringing out his ring sizer and measuring Donnas ring finger said "I need to make the ring a little bigger. My final price for the ring is 725 Dollars a discount for the beauty of your finance. Now the wedding rings and put several trays in front of them but holds one for them and explains that these are puzzle rings used by the Turks to ensure the fidelity of their spouses as they are about nine linked rings which fit together to form a ring. When you take it off carelessly it falls into pieces which are difficult to put back together."

"After some time they manage to select a pair of wedding rings which Mahmoud will adjust to size and have them inscribed in Arabic with 'In love forever Donna and Eric' for 250 dollars. Donna also buys matching gold bracelets, earrings and necklace.

As Donna pays Mahmoud says, "I will be at your wedding as my daughters are at the school and have asked me to go to meet their very good teacher, Eric."

In Point Place there was general disappointment that they couldn't attend the wedding even though they all now had invitations to the wedding even WB Hyde's father.

WB, Hyde, Bob and Red were downing some beers and Bob was saying. " I can't even see Donna get married let alone give her away."

"Why not you can afford the ticket says WB. You know, all those rock stars I know have private jets, if you split the cost of the fuel I'll see if we can borrow one for a few days and we can all use those invites."

Bob, crying in his beer. " If you can get the plane I'll pay for it just to see my Donna finally get married."

Red says "I'll make sure everyone gets their passports, say it would be nice if can we include Pastor Dave in the flight as a guest preacher if he can come."

WB thinks "yes the jets are big enough for 20 so there should be room. I'll get on the phone tomorrow and call in some big favors.

A few days later the students receive an invitation to an evening celebrations at the local village where some of the pupils and workers live for four days before Eric and Donnas' wedding.

Brian and Fiona were getting married a week afterwards and one or two other weddings were taking place before the new term started.

Pastor Dave had got in touch with the Dean re the Point Place your of Africa for the wedding and bought back news that the campus would provide accommodation and visas copies of which would be telexed to them and immigration at Nairobi Airport. They would be flying to Magadi via Nairobi so that they would be customs and passport cleared, four days before the wedding so that they could see some of the sights.

WB favors had come up trumps with a Gulfstream2 with seating for fifteen and the range to clear the Atlantic via Tangiers for refueling.

At the end of two weeks Donna and Eric were curled up together alone on a sofa in the students lounge blissfully looking out of the window watching an African sunset blazing red into night unaware of what would be flying towards their wedding day.

_AN: You didn't seriously think the Point Place gang was not going to the wedding._


	13. Chapter 13 Wedding Fever

**Wedding Fever**

"The Abbess gave me a schedule for the wedding starting from the publication of the final wedding banns tonight. I think we should go to Vespers to hear them read out in Latin." Said Donna picking up her breakfast tray.

"Hey, you know Latin Donna from that time at the catholic high school so you can translate for me."

"Which reminds me this marriage is the traditional Catholic wedding service in Latin and she's included the transcript of that with our responses in Latin highlighted. We have to learn all that before the wedding rehearsal though we have a meeting with Sister Sarah this evening about it. You going to turn up to this one?"

" I have to, I love you and want to marry you, besides the Dean told me that he's closed off all the exits so I can't escape even if I wanted to, which I don't. Also he's scheduled a shadow session where we are together all week and if so much as look the wrong way you're going to kill me this time. Besides apart from butterflies in the gut everything feels right this time. I can't believe how much more grown up I feel this time, how about you?"

"Your right apart from those butterflies everything else seems so right, especially no mobile home this time around. I wonder where the Dean heard about you running out last time. Boy he seriously wants you settled down."

"I told him about it and the reasons as well. He wants to give us a full scholarship here when the campus is upgraded to a full college when it re-opens for the new school year. We can get our college degrees here if we want, but it means spending two more years here. If we agree it's our wedding present from the campus. If it's no I still get my scholarship money to use at home."

"We need to talk that one through before we can give him an answer Eric. You know when you first came here I hated the place because it had taken you away from me then I hated you for leaving me alone. Oh I still loved you but I hated you for how I felt: sad and lonely then I realized that you would be the same I really hated Africa for making both of us miserable. Then I was offered a place here where I could be with you and get on with our life. Then I realized that we needed Africa for us to grow up and realize that we needed each other more than anything else and that we cannot move on till you and I are settled and that happens in five days. So now I love Africa because it's brought us onto the same page."

In Point Place everybody was excitedly getting ready for the trip. Jackie and Brooke with Betsy were together in the mall at the wedding shop in a dual mission both to sort out Brookes own wedding and bridesmaids dresses and to get their original bridesmaids dresses from Donnas' last attempted wedding for the trip.

"You know we don't even know if Donna will want bridesmaids."

"Of course she will after I've had a little talk with the lumberjack."

" You know I've never seen Pastor Dave so excited, in fact I've never seen him excited before."

"He's going partly so he can visit with his oldest friend the Dean, you know they grew up together as next door neighbors all the way through college."

Brooke said. "It's good of WB and Bob to fund this trip."

"He's doing it as a thank you to Kitty and Red for looking after Hyde when Edna left as well as an engagement present for Hyde, me, you and Kelso. By the way Kitty found Laurie and she's coming too. Fez has promised to be nice to her and make sure that she doesn't spread slut rabies across Africa."

"Whoa backup there, you and Hyde are engaged? What, when where details please."

" It was after Eric and Donnas' little bombshell that they were getting married and we got to talking about them, you and Kelso as well. All of you are settling down and well I asked Steven to marry me and he accepted and you could have knocked me over with a feather at that and then he asked me to take him with me when I was getting him his engagement ring as he didn't trust me not to go for the biggest and shiniest ring in the mall. Then he got serious and proposed back at me and I said yes on the condition that it would be a short engagement though longer than Donna and Eric's then it got very hot and unfit for Betsy to hear about."

"So where's the ring?"

"My fingers so small the rings being reduced to fit but we'll have it before we fly."

"With most of us paired off we need to find Fez a girl."

"Maybe we should procure Laurie for him seeing as they're still married as Laurie forgot to mail the papers and Fez likes sluts."

"Interesting term procure but then this is Laurie we're talking about."

"Eric you know I'm on the pill, well I want to come off it after our honeymoon and we need to discuss when, where and how many children we want so that I can decide what methods to use. Speaking of which we have been running a such a speed I haven't even thought about a honeymoon."

"I've just about got enough money for a week at a safari hotel where the rooms are in tree houses and there is only room service so we don't have to move out of the room even to see the animals and that is to be my wedding present to you."

"Why thank you Eric. "

"I always thought that two children sounds right. You know if we stay here to finish our degrees the campus will move us to a larger house and provide help with cleaning, cooking and the children to allow you to continue with your studies. I especially like the idea of the cook."

"I'll have you know that I have graduated from the advanced Kitty cooking course so this time the chicken pinciotti will be wonderful, Kitty says so and kisses him. You know two kids sounds right especially of we can arrange it to be a boy and a girl."

"Should be fun trying. The brochure for the new college says that all degrees will include teaching but the majors on offer includes Physics and English Literature including an element of writing which would suit you. The heads of department are being seconded in from US and British Colleges so the standard should be high."

"We need to ask the staff some questions but yes academically its seems worth considering. But we need to think through everything else."

"I would not have able to even think of taking up the offer before you arrive but since then I haven't been lonely or homesick, just horny. No seriously your my home now and wither one goes the other goes stride for stride" and kissed Donna.

"Damn this chastity vow still there's only one week to go till the Pinciotti Foreman merger."

"Have you thought about which surname your going to use?"

"Yes and no. If we stay here, then it's Mrs. Foreman as they're quite traditional here. Damn that sounded weird."

"I don't know it sounds kind of nice but a bit motherly. I think if we stay here we're going to be away a lot longer than a couple of years so we really needs to think this through."

Two days later at a small airport close to Point Place a small crowd of people have gathered for a long flight to Africa on a jet belonging to the Rolling Stones and due to take them to their next concert the following week. To avoid everything that was not nailed down disappearing the crew had provided souvenir bags of Rolling Stones goodies for everyone.

WB was on the phone to the Stones manager and assuring him that that they would be leaving Africa on the following Monday in plenty of time for the plane to be ready for its owners to get to San Francisco on the Friday. That gave everybody six days in Africa to enjoy the wedding. He had brought in a manager to look after Grooves while Steven was gone as Angie was coming as well.

Pastor Dave had arranged the various landing permissions needed for a private jet to land in Kenya and for the transport and accommodation while they were there. He was saying "when they arrive that they would have time to check in and shower before going to a local village for dinner and an evenings entertainment.

As the plane took off Donna and Eric were making the most of their time together before curfew time in an hour. They had managed to create a private space in the students lounge by moving the furniture around. They were being serious about their chastity vows this time around but it was quite hard to maintain them at times so they stayed in public spaces but everyone gave them as much privacy as possible so they were snuggled up together kissing and talking quite conscious of several other couples trying to do the same.

"You know they're preparing the guest quarters for a large influx of guests coming for the various weddings taking place over the next couple of weeks."

Donna wistfully said "I wish our folks and friends were coming but Wisconsin's too far away."

"Yes, we could have talked over how they feel about us staying here for two further years."

"I think we're going to have to phone them up and talk it over with them probably Wednesday night. I've pretty much decided that we stay especially since there's creative writing included and the Professor for English is from Edinburgh University and Brian says he's at the top of his game."

"So it's pretty much down to our families and how they will react to us staying."

"How about your decision Eric."

"After my disasters with the wedding and my original decision going to Africa my decision is your decision whichever way it goes."

At that Donna leans in and begins kissing Eric very thoroughly as a thank you.

As Donnas' classes didn't start until the week after their marriage Donna was following Eric everywhere in a work shadowing that would last all week so that she would have an idea of the training involved. By lunchtime she had found out how good a teacher Eric was becoming, when imparting the subject of physics to the kids who clearly enjoyed how Eric was making the lessons easy to understand.

After lunch Eric was marking term papers and chatting to Donna about the wedding ceremony. "We're going to have to practice those wedding vows tonight they seem kind of different to those we use in Wisconsin."

In the students lounge that night after dinner they were sitting with the three other couples getting married soon and Sister Sarah was taking them through the wedding ceremony' the vows and their responses. She was playing a tape of the African choir made up from pupils at the school singing some of the hymns normally sung at weddings so that they could select the most appropriate ones.

By the end of the evening everybody had sorted out their hymns and lessons from the old and new testaments to be read as part of the ceremony.

The next day the plane was landing at Magadi Airport around mid-day after the short hop from Nairobi for Entry Formalities. They had approached the airport from the lake and had all got their first glimpse of Eric's' and Donnas' college.

A bus was waiting for them; its driver Paul was loading their luggage ready for the trip to the college.

The Dean was wandering through the college and came up to Eric and Donna who were preparing the last lesson before the term ended tomorrow.

"Have you decided what to do about our offer to complete your education here?"

"Pretty much but we need to talk to our families before we can say yes. We're phoning home tomorrow night." Said Donna.

Walk with me, you need to shower and change for tonight' celebration in the village. I think you'll really enjoy tonight's ceremonies."

"My pupils were most insistent that we made sure to be there tonight."

"You know by now that I like surprises and if you'll wait with me for five minutes I've got another surprise for the two of you. How are the butterflies flying now that there's only just four days until your nuptials? I hope you don't mind we have a guest preacher on Friday to help out."

By now they had reached the entrance where a bus was just pulling up.

They couldn't see through the darken glass and were waiting for the doors to open.

The Dean said. "More wedding guests I think."

The bus door opened and out stepped Red, then Kitty followed by the rest of the gang, Laurie. WB, Angie, Bob, Midge and Brooke with Betsy and finally Pastor Dave.

Somehow Kitty reached Eric first and hugged him unwilling to give way to anyone else. Red shook his hand noting the new strength in his hand and the muscles showing through his shirt. Hyde, Kelso and Fez were waiting to greet Erik.

Midge and Bob were hugging Donna, while Jackie and Brooke waited to say hello.

Pastor Dave was greeting a very old friend with a hug and a handshake.

Kitty went over to Donna saying, congratulations and welcome to the family though in truth you been part of our family for fifteen years.

Bob was shaking Erik's hand and saying that he was happy that the two of them were finally getting married. "You're not going to disappear again."

"No, the campus gates are all secured and Donnas' not letting me out of her sight."

The Dean's secretary was trying to tell everybody where their accommodation was and had detailed Donna to show Jackie, Angie and Brooke with Betsy to the convent and bring them back once everybody had freshened up so that they could catch the bus to the village. Everybody was talking at once while Donna carried Betsy on her hip.

Meanwhile Eric was taking WB, Hyde, Kelso and Fez to their accommodation. Everybody was talking a once.

"Quiet" shouted Eric and Donna separately and simultaneously cutting through the babble of questions.

Meanwhile The Dean was showing everyone else to their accommodation giving them a short tour of the campus and explaining the new college and its esteemed professors starting up in a few weeks time.

Jackie, Brooke and Donna were comparing engagement rings. "Are you sure Eric selected that ring himself. I know it's like your old ring but really big and in much better taste," says Jackie.

"I know when I first saw it my eyes were popping out of my head but Eric was bargaining with the jeweler for all the time he's been here for it. He was planning to ask me to marry him before we went to college when he got home. Eric had an unfair advantage the cost of jewelry here is much less than at home."

Jackie says " Eric looks great not scrawny anymore. "

"If you get up early tomorrow or Thursday and go down to the running track you'll see why Eric looks better and all his muscles as he's in vest and shorts for the warm up and run. I'll be there to. I'm able to keep up with him for three miles before giving up and he just speeds up to finish quickly. I'm thinner and the muscles are back at JV wrestling levels so don't mess with me. Meet me downstairs after you've freshened up and remember you're in a convent."


	14. Chapter 14 Dance of the Betrothed

**Dance of the Betrothed**

The bus left at 4pm for dinner at the village and a tribal celebration. Everybody was excited and curious.

Paul was driving again and had found out that apart from Donna and Eric that Jackie and Hyde and Brooke and Kelso were also engaged. He is talking about the tribal marriage customs and how that nights celebrations sealed the betrothed together before their wedding.

In the middle of the bus Red was looking at a huge antelope buck and was itching for his rifle, as it was at least as big as the stag he had shot on his last hunting trip with Eric.

Eric said they were on a game reserve and that no hunting was allowed.

At the back of the bus the girls were all sitting together chattering and looking at the sights outside the bus including at the lake a small herd of elephants bathing.

Donna was pointing out some hyenas that were feeding on an n antelope carcass saying that they had better table manners than some of the boys back in the high school.

Brooke says I'm OK with you saying Kelso or should I say tatternuts?"

As the bus approached the village they could see some tents set up with a huge antelope turning on a spit over an even bigger barbeque pit.

"I thought you said no hunting."

"The tribe is allowed to hunt on occasions like this but only with traditional weapons such as that six foot spear that propped up on the fence."

The bus stopped outside the tents and Paul introduced them to the safari staff that would be preparing the dinner. They were already opening bottles of Tuskers beer for everybody.

Dinner was served as a buffet and was enjoyed by everyone.

As dinner was finishing Donna, Jackie, Laurie and, after Betsy was handed over to Kitty, Brooke together with the other female students getting married soon were led off talking to some of the girls while Eric, Hyde, Kelso and Fez together with Brian and the other students getting married soon were led off by some of Eric's pupils to see something that they would want to see.

The girls were led into a large building where all the girls in the village were preparing for the dance donning red colored, with some in blue, sarong style dresses that wound twice around them then tucked in over their breasts. They were also applying red ochre to their hair.

The girls all gathered round Donna, Jackie, Brooke and Laurie saying that they should also change into the traditional blue dresses of the betrothed, as they were all betrothed. After some discussion between themselves and the Abbess who had known what was coming they decided to co-operate and change though when they discovered that they would be naked under their dresses no one was waving their arms around. Red ochre was being applied to all the girls' hair except Donnas' hair, which was already red.

Eric and his friends were similarly naked and dressed in blue with red ochre in their hair after a similar discussion with the Dean and Pastor Dave who had been told by the Dean what was coming.

They were practicing the dance steps to the music already beating outside. (Think Ginger Baker's Lagos Sessions and you'll get some idea of the driving beat from the drums).

All of a sudden the doors opened and everybody was dancing their way out to the beat of the drums into a large circle light by large flaming torches.

"Eric tell someone to keep an eye on Kelso." says Hyde. But Pastor Dave was ahead of them and there were two hearty boys that Eric recognized from his kung fu classes as advanced students keeping time with Kelso' every step.

"He's covered Hyde."

When the Boys had formed a complete circle and kept going clockwise the girls appeared and as planned every betrothed pair met as the girl passed through to form a complete circle on the inside then whenever they were opposite each other they would change direction as the beat of the drums speeded up till suddenly when Eric was opposite Eric the girl by Donnas' side took hold of her hand while the girl on the opposite side grabbed Eric's hand and pulled him into the inner circle beside Donna while the remaining men closed ranks and changed direction.

At the end of this circle the inner circle began to spiral towards the centre of the circle breaking into smaller circles with a blue robed pair in the centre of each circle while the outer circle continued on its way. Eric noticed that his and Donnas' circled contained only pupils from classes he taught and he was about to say something to Donna when one girl danced into the centre of the circle and pulled off their robes so that both were naked to each other but the spinning circle of girls slowly turned outwards and Donna noticed that the outer circle had turned to face outwards as well. The girl with their robes said dance in a circle around each other and change direction when we do.

"Aren't you glad you learned to dance otherwise this could have been embarrassing." said a vividly blushing Donna.

Eric who could see glimpses of pink skin correctly assumed that the same thing had happened to all the other engaged couples. "Wow they were right I seeing something I like to see' a beautiful naked dancing Donna" and with that thought blood starting rushing and Eric started blushing as well.

Two of the now giggling girls broke off to help them put their robes on again congratulating Eric on the shapeliness of Donna and telling Donna that Eric's manliness would give her great joy and many children.

The dance broke up gradually with all the engaged couples returning to their family and friends but told to sit together while the tribal chief gave a speech on the comeliness of all the betrothed couples. The Dean interpreted the speech and told them that under tribal law they were now married but that he would see them in church for the final ceremonies.

The dancing continued on into the night with much beer being drunk.

Finally everybody was dressed and back aboard the bus where Donna and Eric arranged to meet with their parents for morning coffee.

The next morning Eric met Donna for their morning run and as they talked they finally decided what to do about the Deans offer.

After breakfast they met up with their friends to show them the already built facilities and models of the remaining buildings being built by Asean.

At 10.30 they met their parents in the students lounge and found a table facing out across the lake where they had arranged for coffee to be served.

"What do you think of the college and its people?" said Donna.

Red answered, "that they certainly knew how to throw a party and the beer was good."

Erik started to talk about the college and its aims before saying" The Dean has offered us full scholarships here as part of the expansion into a fully accredited college issuing degrees recognized worldwide under department heads from some of the most famous university and colleges."

Donna took over smoothly saying, "we have decided to accept his offer and stay here for at least two years.

Erik then said "the new term starts two weeks after we get married so we're not going to be able get home to till the end of the college year."

Donna went on" we were going to phone you this evening to tell you but you surprised us by flying in for our wedding."

Kitty and Bob started crying because their babies were leaving the nest to strike out on their own.

Red and Midge calmed the respective spouses.

Midge asked what would happen if Donna got pregnant.

Donna told them about the colleges arrangements for larger accommodation and the provision of homehelp and a nanny to allow Donna to continue her studies while the maternity unit at the hospital was one of the most modern and best in Africa. The nuns and doctors and nurses from Taiwan staffed it.

Pastor Dave came in with WB and Angela to take Red, Kitty, Midge and Bob together with everyone else on a short safari through the nature reserve.

"I don't know how to thank WB for arranging that Rolling Stones jet. But how about Bob paying the costs of it."

"Now do you believe me that Bobs comfortably rich. He stayed in Point Place because of you and me being together and because of Red and Kitty being such good friends. Now lets get some lunch and get back to preparations for your last lesson of the year tomorrow."

After dinner they were all gathered around a table drinking beer when Kelso asked what time the wedding rehearsal was and everyone was suddenly silent remembering the last time they went to one of these for Donna and Eric.

"Donna leaned over and kissed Eric fully and then whispered in his ear. "Don't worry I trust you but I bet you twenty dollars that these three idiots will get you to the cathedral early for the wedding."

Eric said, "Your on and loudly said don't worry this time I'm going to be there."

Kitty laughs and everyone relaxes.


	15. Chapter 15 Nuptuals

**Nuptuals**

Donna was talking to Jackie and Brooke as she finished packing so that her things could be moved to her and Eric's new one bedroomed flat next to the new college buildings where she and Eric would spend their marriage night together before going on their honeymoon. They were going for dinner after the wedding rehearsal.

"Donna aren't you nervous about Eric going AWOL again."

"No all the gates are locked and the three stooges are with him. Remind me why you two have been following me around all day."

Brooke says. "The Dean asked us to keep an eye on you to make sure there was no revenge for that incident, besides which we wanted to keep you company."

"Even to the extent of coming for the morning run with me. I could easily have escaped you two but I would never be able to out run Eric. Betsy looked cute in her running gear and especially with all the girls carrying her around the track keeping up with you two. But seriously I could never do that to Eric even as a joke, I know how much it hurt both of us and how nearly it broke us up."

"Most couples would have split up."

"We would have if it wasn't for Midge who forced me to admit that I still loved him and I could never even consider anyone else but Eric as a lover. So I'm stuck on and with him."

At the cathedral Eric was waiting for Donna with his friends and both sides of the family and getting nervous as the rehearsal time closed in. "Maybe Donna wants a little revenge for the last time" says Hyde.

Fez chimes in with "even after you left her at the alter she still took you back the next night when you climbed into her window and told her you still loved her."

"You never told me what you were doing in the cupboard Fez? Never mind I don't think I want to know as long as you don't do it again."

Donna comes around the corner with Jackie and Brooke who runs over to Kelso who hands Betsy to her for a hug.

"Don't worry Eric these two wouldn't' t let me run for it but they both agreed fifteen minutes late would make you sweat a little which you deserved. I bet you the three stooges had you here early."

" You're right I owe you twenty for that," says Eric.

"You deserved that Eric," said Kitty "now its time to rehearse for tomorrow."

The Dean with Pastor Dave helping led everybody through the service and their responses. Both Kelso and Fez responded when the Dean asked if anyone objected to the wedding with one saying Donna loved him and not Eric and the other that Eric loved him not Donna.

After the rehearsal everyone went to dinner and a party in the students lounge.

Kitty was talking to Midge after several vodka tonics about how she had always known that they would get married and settle down somewhere in Point Place but now that they were staying in Africa for at least two and a half years she wasn't so sure even though she had agreed that this was their best option she was worried that they would no longer settle for Point Place anymore.

Midge agreed but said that she had always known that Donna would not settle for Point Place even if she had to leave Eric behind sooner or later and now she didn't have to leave him behind and that they would both have to watch them go together.

Donna had heard this and said "Eric knew that and that's why he didn't turn up to the last wedding and why he left for Africa. He knew I wanted to leave Point Place sooner or later and he wanted to make sure he went with me, only somehow he managed to get out ahead of me and I love him even more for that. Don't worry we will always come back for long visits especially if we're lucky enough to have children."

Erik was talking with Hyde and Red. "Looks like we'll make it to the alter this time."

"Still plenty of time for my final foot in the ass. After all you've managed to move out on a permanent basis and marry an heiress so after tomorrow you're an equal not a dumbass. As for you Hyde there still two months worth of opportunities before you marry the loud one. The upside of that is that you will never have to pay a mechanic to repair your car ever again. She's a genius under the hood."

"And on top of it" says Hyde under his breath.

"Steven, we all heard that dumbass comment."

"Sorry"

The party went on till about midnight when the nuns who were all quite tipsy gathered up their boarders and escorted them home.

Eric managed to catch Donna and kiss her thoroughly before saying "see you at sunset tomorrow"

Eric woke at 05.00am then 05.30 05.45 and 06.00 and decided to go for his morning run instead of trying to sleep and rounded up the three boys who were all suffering from well earned hangovers and complaining loudly.

Donna was having similar trouble staying asleep and while she was tempted to go for a run she would rather annoy Midget and Brooke into an early breakfast and spending the morning chatting with her two best friends before Midge and Kitty arrived to help her get ready for her marriage to Eric.

Her marriage to Eric, she felt as if she had been waiting all her life for this moment even though it had only been four years since she had first kissed Eric knowing that best friends was not enough for her that she wanted Eric in ways that were way beyond friendship and yet they had managed both to be lovers and best friends most of the time.

She and Eric had decided to stay here in Africa to get their education and they had agreed that they wanted at least one girl and a boy, if that was to be the timing was immaterial.

She banged on Jackie's door to wake her up and went to Brooke's room where a nun was taking Betsy for breakfast and to spend the morning in the kindergarten with the other children on the campus.

"Why are you up so early Donna the weddings not just before sunset."

"I can't sleep and I'm used to getting up about now with the daily run so I thought we could go to breakfast with the nuns and chat for a few hours to catch up on the life and times of Point Place happenings for the last three weeks.

Eric was encouraging his friends who were flagging badly at the mile mark and telling them that breakfast was still a mile away then he sped off to complete his five miles and wait for them to finish.

Hyde wondered aloud if there was any "film" around but Eric said that everyone around here chewed quat which was smuggled in from Yemen but since it wasn't as good as 'film" no one bothered so everyone around here stuck to beer.

Later after breakfast the boys were sitting around a table with a beer in hand.

Hyde said, "They invented cars that run on water."

Eric retorted,"Yeh they're called steam trains but they need coal to heat up the water. Sorry Hyde but we've heard that one before."

"Sorry I was just reminiscing. I think our film days are over now that we're moving on to another phase of our lives."

"Ai I'm the only remaining true bachelor here. What do I do?"

"There's a clear trend here so follow it and find some-one to settle down with. Oh wait a minute your still married to Laurie so go find her and ask her if she still hates you but be careful of Red's heart." says Kelso.

The girls had spent the morning talking and after lunch were joined by Kitty, Midge, Laurie, Angela and Betsy in Donnas' room to prepare themselves for the wedding.

Jackie was slightly late as she had gone over to Donnas' new flat to make sure everything was ready and lay out Donnas' things for later.

As she came through the door she said that the flat was well laid out and that the nuns has put lots of flowers around the place and that she had set out everything that she would need later. "Now lets get everybody ready. It's going to take two hours just for Donnas' hair and makeup let alone me and Brooke."

Kitty and Midge seeing that Jackie had everything in hand took Betsy with them to give everyone else room to move.

Jackie digging out the makeup kit she had packed for Donna said everybody back to their rooms to shower and come back here to get their hair done.

About three hours later and one hour before the ceremony Jackie finished Donnas' makeup and puts the veil in place so that everyone could see how beautiful Donna was. "For once in your life you don't look like a lumberjack and you're wearing a dress. I'm sure Eric thinks your going to be wearing wedding cords and checked shirt." She then held up the mirror so that Donna could see the effects of the makeup. "Your more beautiful than you've ever been."

"Wow that's spectacular Jackie and you've final admitted that I'm beautiful."

"Yes Donna your beautiful, normally in a lumberjack kind of way but now you're spectacular. Your wedding dress fits perfectly and Eric's not going to know what hit him when you walk down the aisle. I've watched the two of you over the last couple of days here and the level of telepathy between you is incredible even when helping Eric to prepare his lessons. You would hand him files or books before he even asked for them and vice versa."

"I know we always used to be able to sense when the other was close but since coming here the links a lot closer and there's times when we know what each of us is thinking without having to say a word."

Eric's day had been spent with his friends and family and he was reflecting on what had been said as he made his way back to his room, with his friends, to get dressed for the wedding.

His past decisions regarding Donna had all been forgiven and they had a future starting a sunset this evening.

This wedding was an old fashioned catholic wedding and everything was set in stone so he didn't need vows though he still has the ones he had written before and he got them out of a file and re-read them. Yep with some additions he could use them at the reception after the wedding. So the next hour was spent rewriting those vows.

With two hours left to sunset he showered shaved and perfumed before dressing in his wedding tuxedo.

He answered the knock on the door knowing that it was his friends. Opening it he was surprised to see Red standing there.

"Kitty's with Donna making sure that everything's OK so I thought I would come over and see how you were. I'm surprised the three stooges aren't here watching that you don't run away again. I know you're committed this time but what the hell. If you run out on Donna there's now where in the world that my foot couldn't find your ass."

"Red you know I love Donna as much as you love Kitty. I know that I've made bad decisions for Donna in the past but she's forgiven all that and we're ready to get married now."

"Well good luck son your mother and I will always love you and welcome Donna into the family officially although she's been in the family for years already"

"Dad how's your heart these days seeing as Laurie's just remembered that she never posted the divorce papers for her marriage to Fez and it looks like they might want to try it for real this time.

"I must be feeling mellow today, Laurie needs someone to stop her sleeping with almost everybody in pants and Tonto is proving to be a good worker at the hairdressers so the same goes for him. If he hurts her I'll unleash a fez seeking foot in ass homing missile to hunt him down. We're giving you and Donna the house as a wedding present though we don't plan on moving out anytime soon which is ok as your not planning on coming back anytime soon. We're going to move to Florida with Bob when the cold gets to cold for us. But enough of this maudlin good luck son you'll need it with someone as feisty and as strong as Donna."

Red exits as the boys arrive all dressed up.

Eric hands the rings to his best man Hyde' takes a deep breath and says lets go, we need to be in the cathedral at least half an hour before to let the bridal procession get from the convent without me seeing the bride.

As Eric enters the cathedral he notices some changes to the layout and a vast array of flowers decorating the cathedral.

As cathedrals go this was a small modern one well designed for an African climate with its walls entirely consisting of doors that were currently all wide open allowing a breeze to blow through and an extraordinary view of the lake which was already taking on a red golden hue as the sun that would set in less than an hour sun shone over it.

Additional seats had been laid out for the high school students attending the wedding with their parents. Eric saw Mahmoud who was his jeweler sitting with his wife and two daughters who both were in Eric's classes.

The choir was handling all the music today without the organ.

Donna was now approaching the front of the cathedral and the butterflies were doing acrobatics in her tummy until one of the nuns whispered Eric's waiting for you inside. Taking a moment to ensure that Donna was still perfect Jackie before taking her place as maid of honor at the head of the bridesmaids and the marching column of nuns.

As they entered the church Donna got visual confirmation of what her senses were telling her and she saw Eric in his new tux for the first time waiting for her.

At the other end of the cathedral The Dean and Pastor Dave appeared and were waiting for the happy pair to kneel in front of them.

Eric looked up the aisle to see Donna walking down the aisle, escorted by her father who already had tears in his eyes, and was struck dumb by her beauty even though he couldn't yet see her face.

At the alter The Dean asked "who gives this woman's hand in marriage?"

Bob now openly crying says, "I do" and hands Donna off to Eric with a "take good care of my pumpkin."

"I will Bob" says Eric shaking his hand and waving at Fez to escort Bob to his seat before turning to gaze at Donna and almost missing the Deans next words although Fez and Kelso didn't.

The Dean began with the ritual "does anyone here object to the union of this man and this woman" to which both Fez and Kelso started to say something but milliseconds later were hopping on one foot where two bridesmaids had kicked their shins very hard and painfully.

After that the ceremony blurred for both Donna and Eric gazing all the time into each others eyes and responding automatically to each question until after the exchange of wedding rings when they resurfaced into the real world when the Dean pronounced them man and wife and saying you may kiss the bride and the whole cathedral echoed to the sound of applause.

As they kissed the lake became a pool of blazing fire as the setting sun sank into the waters of the lake.

They had missed Pastor Dave's reading from the Old Testament the choir singing the hymns together with the nuns and Red reading the lesson from the New Testament. In truth neither of them would remember anything of the wedding beyond the look of love pouring out of each other's eyes and the burning lake.

The marriage service finished the happy couple together with the best man and the maid of honor went with the Dean to sign the marriage register and their marriage license, which was witnessed, by the Dean, Pastor Dave, Hyde, Jackie and a representative of the US Consulate.

They came out to a cheering crowd of friends; family and other guests at the wedding and the college photographer took even more photos than Kitty who was taking shots of everything that moved. After the photos the wedding party went off to form a receiving line for the guests coming to the reception in the canteen while outside a party for the high school students whose end of year this was getting underway with the choir singing African songs with the backing of the tribal drums brought in for the occasion.

WB and Angela remained outside listening to the music trying to locate the choirmaster to discuss some business regarding a contract to record their music.

As Eric shook hands with Mahmoud he slipped something into Eric's pocket saying that it was a wedding present that his daughters had picked out for them. Several more of the guests had brought wedding gifts in envelopes that were stashed in Eric' pockets.

The introductions over everyone sat down to dinner and were enjoying themselves.

Eric and Donna were still lost in each other when Red stood up after all the plates had been removed and all the glasses charged.

"When Eric was growing up and was about to start school Donna moved in next door. That was fifteen years ago and together with Hyde and Kelso made our basement their home so our family grew from 2 children to 5 children then Fez and the loud one, Jackie, were added so we has 7 kids around the house most of the time and in time they all became part of our family.

Now what we always knew, almost from the day they first met fifteen years ago with a few detours along the way, has finally happen and Eric and Donna have married and I know that they will have a happy life together if eventful because they are both very strong willed people. Please raise your glasses to Donna and Eric.

It was Hyde's turn as best man to speak. "I've known Donna and Eric since kindergarten and two better friends you couldn't find. When my mother ran away Eric persuaded his parents to take me in and look after me until I could stand on my own two feet. Eric is the brother I didn't have and Donna eventually became a sister to me. They have loved each other since they met all those years ago even though from time to time their shear stubbornness to get their own way would break them up you could still see the love for each other shining through to bring them back together. Please raise your glasses to Donna and Eric."

Eric stood up. "It's not a tradition here to use your own vows at the ceremony, but I happen to have these handy so. .. Donna I love you its seems like forever but from the time of our first kiss that love changed from best friend love to romantic love. I know and share all of your dreams and want you to know that I have and always will support you in everyway in achieving those dreams. Whither thou goes' I go and oh by the way I love you and the twins."

Donna on hearing these vows finally fully understood why Eric disappeared at the wedding rehearsal and with her eyes clouding over with tears and laughter hugged Eric whispering in his ears that she know fully understood why he had left her and promised to use her full potential to fulfill both their dreams but that she and the twins will get you later.

She turned around and said, "I didn't prepare any vows knowing that they wouldn't be needed. But here goes. Eric my vow to you is that I will be the best that I can and help you be the best that you can and to always love you no matter what." After a pause " Dad and Fez have been waiting long enough, bring on the cake and lets enjoy ourselves."

When the still weeping Bob was on his third slice of wedding cake Hyde stood up and introduce the band consisting of students who struck up with an Abba song 'Fernando' and said " the new Mr. and Mrs. Foreman danced their very first dance together to this music so its appropriate that they should dance this their first dance of a long and happy life together to it."

With that Eric led Donna to the dance floor where they started to dance with Donna whispering "Aren't you glad you learned to dance."

"Yes, but I'm more used to dancing to this music in roller skates." Donna laughed.

When they finished their dance Pastor Dave came across with the Dean. "I sometimes thought that you two would never manage to be in the same place long enough to manage to get married."

"The Dean's three week time limit had something to do with it plus this time around everything felt right." Said Donna.

The Dean clutching a large malt scotch in his hand said. "Congratulations on your marriage, you're the first of several married couples here to study at the new campus. Remember that the term begins in three weeks so enjoy yourselves until then but be ready for some very hard work."

Jackie was hovering in the background having organized a large number of unmarried girls and positioned them on the dance floor; she wanted Donna to toss her wedding bouquet to. After which the student element of the party intended to escort the happy couple to their new flat and see out the night by playing mahjong, which had been borrowed, from the Taiwanese workers especially for the occasion. But I promise to get them out in an hour by talking to them in her loud girl voice."

Donna tossed her bouquet, which was caught by Laurie.

Fez remarked that Laurie was still married to him so she should not have caught it but still appeared by Laurie's side only to be distracted by some candies laid out on a side table for the children at the wedding.

Eric whispered "lets slip out now when no ones looking at us." but they only made it through the side door before running into their own gang plus the students who had got to know Eric and Donna well, plus in the background their parents, WB, Angela and Laurie.

Hyde was saying, "You really didn't think you would escape that easily? Come we will escort you too your wedding bower which has been suitable decorated by Kelso and Fez. Don't worry we searched Kelso thoroughly for matches, fireworks and stink bombs."

As they entered their new flat they saw what Fez and Kelso had done in making it look like the backend of Eric's old vista cruiser adorned with lots of unwound toilet rolls empty bear cans and cans of shaving foam decorating the photo frames.

"Don't worry I did the bedroom and threatened dire retribution if they touched it." Said Jackie.

"Oh God that means Jackie style pink ribbons with pink ribbons over everything." said Eric.

"No it's in Donnas' lumberjack style with crossed double headed axes on the wall but, really it's a toned down version of what I did for Hyde's bedroom."

"When they looked the color scheme was muted but everything else was designed for comfort."

Donna went "Wow when you said toned down we though from flaming to blushing pink but this is seriously nice. Isn't it Eric"?

"Eric hearing the verbal elbow in the ribs said "yes." and thought it must be a girl thing."

The party in the flat swung along for about an hour before everybody left leaving the happy couple with only Jackie and Hyde to get rid off.

"We left your wedding present under the desk" and Eric looked to see a number of cartons with an Apple Logo on them.

"Well brother take good care of Donna."

"I will brother, I seem to have been waiting all my life for this and I want it to last a lifetime."

"Since Hyde's Eric brother in all but name, best friend, we're going to be sisters in law in two months time, I can't wait. We'll send you wedding cake and lots of photos. Take real good care of Eric, he's a keeper and he's been a really good friend to me, even if he does call me spawn of the 'devil'."

With the door closing the world out Eric was relieved to be alone at last with his new wife who kissed him long and lingeringly before breaking for the bathroom to shower and get dressed for bed.

In the bathroom she took one of her remaining birth control pills thinking thank god I'm finished with these in two weeks and thank god Jackie's given me a large supply of sponges to replace the pills. After a shower she change into her new lingerie and went back to Eric.

Eric showered shaved and changed in record time to get back to a waiting Donna who stood up off the bed to hug him before falling backwards onto the bed...

On the veranda of the apartment block the Foreman's, Pinciotti's WB and the Future Hyde's were sitting enjoying a final drink and some of Kenya's finest coffee before retiring to bed when they heard the rising pitch of Donna as she orgasmed very loud and long.

Kitty asked Red. "Were we ever that loud"

"I don't know you'll need to ask the kids that one. But I begin to hear why Donna stuck with Eric. That's my boy" said Red.

"Well I won't have to asked Donna 'how was it' tomorrow morning I'll be able to tell her we heard how it was."

"Don't you dare Midge, Donna will die of embarrassment" said Bob for once putting his foot down"

"I'm supposed to be the loud girl. I only hope you can make me that happy on our wedding night" when Donnas' passion overflowed again.

The next morning after a shower together took significantly longer than expected they dressed and went down to breakfast with their family and friends who were departing for Point Place shortly.

Kelso, who could never managed to keep anything in congratulated Donna on the sounds she had been passionately making only ten minutes before was frogged by Brooke just too late to save the happy couples blushes.

Laurie leaned over to Donna saying. "He's significantly better than he looks."

Looking at Hyde and Laurie Red says "Well that's the first two out of the nest now the rest of you need to follow their example and soon."

"Eric had brought with him the envelopes and Mahmouds' wedding present and was busy opening to find significant quantities of cash and a jewelry box which contained several pieces of traditional gold that the note said were part of a bridegrooms gift to his bride. "I guess these are for toy Donna who was open jawed at the sight of the gold.

The junior Foreman's were watching from their safari jeep as the Rolling Stones jet took off on its journey home.


	16. Chapter 16 The Future

**The Future**

2 months after Eric and Donnas' wedding - Jackie and Hyde get married

3 months after Eric and Donnas' wedding - Brooke and Kelso get married

5 months after Eric and Donnas' wedding - Kitty picks up the phone to a breathless "We're pregnant from Donna and Eric followed in the next three months by Jackie then Brooke and Laurie who persuaded Fez that it was his (this time it could have been).

Eric and Donna passed their first year exams with A's across the board.

Two months later the storks from the lake visited Eric and Donna leaving them with the gift of a baby boy and left Eric with a seriously swollen hand where Donna had held on him for support. Both of them were later glad that she hadn't grabbed somewhere else

Point Place hospital had rarely seen anything like it with three sets of twins arriving within hours to swell the Foreman's grandchildren count to 7 if you included Kelso and Brooke which the Foreman's did.

Kitty got a call that she had been praying for. Eric and Donna were coming home after having graduated with honors for a three-month visit before heading back for postgraduate training.


	17. Chapter 17 Epilogue

**Epilogue**

I hope that you've all enjoyed this story.

Over the next couple of months I will be editing it to take out the inconsistencies that have built up. Remove or use hanging plot lines and in general tidy it up.

The reason for this is that I set myself a deadline of one week per chapter which left me time for an initial tidy up but essentially what I wrote down is what you've got.

I'm thinking of extending this into new stories exploring Donnas' business and political ambitions though I have little detailed knowledge beyond what I see and read at  and in the Economist so I have some serious research to get underway.


End file.
